


Day by Day

by Kizmet



Series: Evolving Together [1]
Category: X-Men Evolution
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, From "Joyride", Gen, Medical Trauma
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-02
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-23 20:52:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 53,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2555258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kizmet/pseuds/Kizmet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When the headaches associated with Lance's powers evolve into a life threatening medical condition the Brotherhood is forced to accept help from the X-Men bringing about extensive changes in both teams.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Headaches come in all Forms

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: Premise and characters are the property of Marvel, I'm just borrowing them for a bit of non-profit fun.
> 
> Reposted from ff.net.

Lance woke up with a groan.  He hoped that the thudding he heard originated from one of his housemates' stunts and not in his skull.  Then he  sat up and the room spun dizzyingly around him, crushing his wishful thinking. "Get up, get moving," Lance told himself. "You know it'll be better after a shower and some coffee."

There was a loud crash from the general vicinity of the stairs. "Not-funny-Toad-just-you-wait-and-see-what-I-do-to-you-that-will-be-funny!" Quicksilver ranted in fast forward.

"Note: Todd slimed the stairs," Lance thought to himself. "It's a good thing we've got a common enemy or we'd kill each other."

Lance smiled seeing the bathroom door standing open, maybe the day was looking up already. He shut the door firmly behind him and kicked a towel in front of it to keep it from swinging open again; courtesy of Tabby and Pietro's last bathroom hogging argument; and turned on the faucet only to see a disappointing trickle of brownish water emerge and dry up after only few moments.  "What the hell happened to the water this time!" Lance yelled.  He collected up his bathroom supplies in preparation for another round of showering at school.

"Again?" Tabby's sleepy voice yelled back. "I thought we had money this month?"

Grumbling Lance headed downstairs after jumping over the patch of slime covering the top few steps. He glanced at Todd, hanging bound and gagged from the remains of the ceiling fan.  "Fred can get you down easiest," Lance told the younger boy. "When he wakes up."  

He ignored the daggers that Todd was glaring at him and continued into the kitchen, picked up the phone and dialed the water company.  "This is the Brotherhood Boarding House, why the fuck is the water off this time! I know I paid you!" Lance yelled as soon as he got through to a living person. "I did so pay you! Check again!"  As he shouted, Lance's gaze was drawn to a white corner peeking out from behind the telephone table. He pulled out a somewhat dingy envelope, checked the address, then in a calmer voice said, "I guess the check got misplaced. I'll drop it off later today. How long will it take to get the water back?"  Lance rubbed his forehead tiredly, stuffed the envelop in his pocket and pulled a milk bottle full of water from the pantry for coffee.

"We're learning huh?" Fred asked coming in from his bedroom.

"Sure thing Freddy," Lance sighed. "Quickie tied Toad to the ceiling fan, could you get him down and tell him to clean the slime off the stairs before school?"

A girlish shriek followed by a crash followed by several decidedly unlady-like curses sounded from the other room.

Fred stuck his head through the door just before an explosion sent a cloud of dust through the house. "Tabby got him down," Fred reported to Lance. "That's got to hurt," he added with a sympathetic wince.

Lance watched the coffee slowly drip through the filter, waiting for it to reach the one mug mark.

A gust of wind swept through the room and resolved into Pietro holding a cup of coffee.

"Give it to me," Lance said, a warning clear in his voice.

"Gotta-catch-me," Pietro announced smirking.

Lance just glared. "First, it's my coffee."

"I-got-it-first, it's-mine,"

"Second, we made a rule about you and caffeine."

"That's-not-fair. Everyone-else-gets-coffee."

"Not me," Todd interjected.

"Third, do you really want to deal with me when I don't get my coffee?" Lance asked a slight tremor punctuated his statement. Then Lance's face twisted as his headache shifted from dull and throbbing to sharp and penetrating.

The contested cup of coffee materialized at Lance's elbow as he gingerly rubbed his temples and waited for the pain to subside to normal levels. When he raised his head from his hands Pietro was finishing breakfast, Todd had found a box of granola bars and was unwrapping one while Fred dug through the refrigerator.

"Pass me one," Tabby said to Todd as she came in the kitchen with her make-up bag.

Todd threw one of the bars across the kitchen. "You want one Lance?" he asked.

"I hope you didn't buy that," Lance said. "You know we can't afford junk food."

"Don't worry, yo," Todd said. "Shoplifted 'em fair and square."

"Good," Lance replied, he glanced at his watch. "Everyone eat fast, we're heading to school in fifteen minutes."

"Why, we'll be there half an hour before classes start," Todd complained.

"Because none of us have showered yet, Froggy," Tabby replied.

"So?" Todd asked innocently.

Lance just shook his head and turned his attention back toward the coffee.

 

* * *

 

At school Lance rested his forearm against the central shower pole and let the luke-warm water cascade over his shoulders easing the throbbing in his head.

The first bell jerked him out of a semi-hypnotized doze.

"Shit," Lance swore hurrying to get dressed and make it to class.

Lance drifted through his morning classes, paying the minimum amount of attention, trying to decide if it if it would be worth the trouble of skipping just to get away from the noise of the classrooms.

Third period rolled around and Lance smiled a little.  When it came to this class the decision was easy.  He'd failed enough science that he and Kitty were in the same class. Better than that they were lab partners. Just the thought of spending time with her boosted Lance's energy levels.

"Lance Alvars, Pietro Maximoff, Todd Tolensky and Fred Dukes reported to the principal's office," the secretary's voice sounded over the school's intercom.

"Oh what now!" Lance exclaimed impatiently. Kelly would drag him out of the one class he actually looked forward to.

As he walked toward the office the rest of the Brotherhood fell in beside him.

"So what did we do?" Lance asked. "And why couldn't we wait till after this class?"

"What the big deal?" Tabby asked.

"Kitty time," Todd explained. "Hey what are you doing here? Kelly didn't ask for you."

"I didn't want to be left out," Tabby said with a shrug.

"And here I am wishing I'd been left out," Lance said.

"Sorry-Lance," Pietro said. "Not-really. But we didn't know he'd call you. You weren't there after all."

"Hey we're a team, everyone knows that," Lance sighed.

"Well someone didn't get the memo that I'm on the team now," Tabby complained.

"Don't mind Kelly, he's slow, slow-slow-slow, even-for-someone-who's-not-me," Pietro said.

"You're all crazy," Lance said. "You know that don't you?"

"That's one word," Kelly said as they entered his office. "There's also maniacal, deviant, destructive, delinquent. I'm tempted to say just plain evil."

"Principal Kelly!" Pietro exclaimed sounding outraged. "What an attitude for an educator to possess!"

"Oh I like children," Kelly said. "But you four…"

"Five," Todd pointed out.

"Are demons!" Kelly exclaimed.

"And you're a pathetic, scared, pretense of a person," Lance snarled, his fists clenching as his anger shot uncontrolled tremors through the room, knocking over books and trophies, sending pictures crashing to the ground.

"Not another one!" Kelly exclaimed clutching his desk.

"Lance, headaches," Todd hissed. "Cut it out, you already go through aspirin like Quickie goes through candy."

The room stilled and Kelly straightened. "All of you, detention tonight and Saturday," he spat. "Now get out of my sight!"

As the Brotherhood trooped back through the main office they passed the secretary, calmly straightening her desk. Living in Bayville for a matter of months gave a person nerves a life long Californian would envy.

Tabby waved cheerfully as the group split to go to their individual classes.

A few moments later Lance slid into his seat beside Kitty Pryde. The slight brown-haired girl silently handed him several Tylenols. Lance smiled gratefully and swallowed them dry with the ease of long practice.

Kitty scribbled a quick note onto her note pad then tilted it toward Lance. "You have to quit that!" it said.

Lance shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "He makes me mad," he wrote beneath Kitty's note.

"You're going to hurt yourself," Kitty wrote back. Lance could see the concern in her eyes. It made him feel warm and sorry at the same time.

"I'll be good," he scribbled.

Kitty caught his free hand and squeezed it warmly. Lance zoned out on the rest of the lecture, his attention totally focused on the small, soft hand clasping his beneath the table.

When the bell rang Kitty asked, "So are we still on for tonight?"

Lance sighed reluctantly letting her hand slip away. "Move it back an hour?" he asked. "We got detention."

"We'll have to eat after the movie," Kitty said. "I'll be pushing curfew. Couldn't you just skip detention? It's not like the first time."

"Kelly said he'd take us off the free lunch program if we rack up too many black marks," Lance replied unhappily. "We really can't afford that.  Between Pietro's insane pride and keeping the jocks away from Todd… and my temper… we can't really stay out of trouble. Having us actually show up for punishments makes Kelly feel like he's in control, makes him happier."

"It's okay," Kitty said. "They probably won't even notice if I sneak in a little late."

"When you're on a date with me?" Lance asked disbelievingly.

"Well, I don't care," Kitty said firmly and Lance smiled happily as they split for their next classes.

* * *

 

As Lance approached the cafeteria the first thing he noticed was Kurt Wagner looking nervous and torn. Lance followed the X-Man's gaze, he wasn't surprised to see Todd and Tabby cornered by four large, angry football players led by Duncan Matthews.  He was a little surprised by the highly unnatural shade of pink hair that topped the foursome's heads.  From across the room Lance could see that Todd was scared and Tabby was seconds from a metaphorical and possibly literal explosion.

Lance stalked across the room toward the confrontation, as he passed Kurt he noticed the look of relief on the younger boy's face. "Couldn't decide if she was worth playing hero for?" Lance asked, his voice quiet and cutting. He didn't slow as he passed the X-Man and placed himself solidly between Matthews and his two housemates.

"You want them, you go through me," Lance said conversationally.  There wasn't a noticeable height difference between Lance and Matthew's group, but every one of the opposing forces out bulked him by a healthy margin. Still they hesitated, made cautious by the cold, hard look in Lance's eyes.  A faint vibration through the floor announced Fred's arrival. Internally Lance sagged with relief, his external face never flickered, an observer wouldn't have been able to say if Lance were even aware of his large friend stepping up to back him.  "Shove off," Lance ordered. Matthew's face darkened with hate but he and his friends backed down in the face of Fred's bulk and Lance's less definable air of menace.

"Good timing, yo," Todd said thankfully.

"So that's what we're getting detention for?" Lance asked, his gaze following football players and their bright, cheerful plumage.

Todd grinned. "We got most of the team, a lovely blend of bleach and hair dye, compliments of Toad and Quicksilver hair styling.

"Uh-huh," Lance replied. "You remember what I said about keeping out of trouble? I don't give a damn what you have to do to keep them from bullying you, but we don't have to go out of our way to antagonize them. Not right now, not on school grounds where Kelly's watching us, remember?"

"Sorry Lance," Todd said. "But you gotta admit that it's their color."

Lance rolled his eyes as a lop-sided smirk reluctantly transformed his face. "Okay, maybe that was worth it," he said. "Where's Pietro?"

Before anyone could reply Evan Daniels stormed into the room muttering angrily under his breath. Lance nodded as if he'd received the answer to his question then turned and headed back toward the lunch line.

* * *

 

Lance stood in the hall by his locker, eyes closed, perfectly still, listening as the hoards of students thinned and vanished into their classes while he fought to will his ever-present headache into submission. He was caught totally off guard as a hand clamped around his arm and spun him into the wall of lockers. The sudden movement and the even sharper stop sent Lance's brain spinning dizzily and filled his vision with multi-colored sparkles.  "Can't you keep that lunatic speed demon under control?" Scott Summer's angry, superior voice demanded.

Lance's fist lashed out and he felt a satisfying impact as it connected with Scott's jaw, rocking the other mutant's head back. Scott grabbed for his glasses, keeping them securely in place as he stepped back out of arms reach and waited.

"Why aren't you reading the riot act to Daniels," Lance demanded, trying to be inconspicuous as he leaned back against the lockers.

"I'm planning on it," Scott said. "But I'm not going to waste my time if Pietro's just going to start things back up again."

"Fine," Lance snapped. "Where are they?"

Scott stalked off and Lance pushed himself away from the wall to follow the other boy.

They turned a corner to see every locker door swinging open and papers drifting slowly toward the floor. It looked like the aftermath of a tornado.  'A tornado and a big porcupine,' Lance corrected himself mentally as he notice the line of brown bone-spikes embedded in the wall. The last one pinned a scrap of clothe to the wall that Lance recognized as a part of the Pietro's sweater.  Lance walked through the double doors at the end of the hall and found Evan standing in the center of the teacher's parking lot, doused in paint and crouched slightly, ready to throw a handful of spikes at the white topped blur that was Pietro.

"Too-slow! Missed-me!" Pietro taunted dashing from one side of the parking lot to the other. For some reason Pietro seemed determined not to touch the ground, preferring to jump from car to car.

Pietro paused; crouching on the hood of Principal Kelly's car and Evan threw. His spikes shattered the windshield as Pietro darted across the next three cars. "Good-aim-bone-brain!" he taunted.

"Spyke!" Scott yelled. "Enough!"

Pietro darted behind Scott and started making faces at Evan. Lance grabbed his hyperactive teammate by the collar and dragged him back toward the school. "Haven't you had enough fun for one day?" Lance muttered.  He wondered if his brains were actually leaking out of his ears or if it just felt that way.

"He-started-it!" Pietro protested as Evan yelled defensively, "If Pietro hadn't…"

Lance felt a moment's kinship with Summers then shuddered at the horrific thought. "Class, now," he told Pietro. "Stay out of trouble till detention okay?"

"You're no fun anymore," Pietro complained. "Always trying to impress your Kitty-kat."

"Please," Lance sighed. "My head's killing me, just let the rest of the day stay quiet, just for novelty's sake."

"You shouldn't of shook up Kelly's office. It's your own fault your head hurts," Pietro pointed out.

"Oh no, I think you and Summers and Matthews and Kelly and Daniels and, hell, everybody, shares some of the blame for my headaches," Lance growled ominously.

"Oh-look-at-the-time-gotta-get-to-class-bye," Pietro exclaimed.

Lance watched as the speedster disappeared then trudged toward his final class.

* * *

 

Lance buried his head in his arms, wondering when the headache from hell would end.  'If it would end,' he amended. The side effects of using his powers never really wore off anymore just varied in severity. He considered using his powers for long enough to push himself into a true blackout, so that he could escape the pain for a few hours.  Of course, Lance knew, it would be worse than ever when he eventually woke up.

The other members of the Brotherhood exchanged uneasy glances over the dark-haired boy's head as they watched Lance curl further into himself.

Pietro vanished for a few moments to return with a new bottle of aspirin and a glass of water.

"We should take him to a doctor," Tabby said quietly, watching Lance swallow a handful of pills. "That can't be good for him."

"What we gonna tell 'em, yo?" Todd asked. "He gets migraines from causing earthquakes?"

"Can't say that," Pietro added. "They'll-do-bad-things-to-him-if-they-find-out…"

"We have to do something," Fred said watching Lance go back to gingerly cradling his head.

The teacher marveled at how quiet detention was for once.

* * *

 

Kitty snuggled closer to Lance as the movie began.  She silently blessed whoever realized that flip-up arms were the perfect accessories for chairs in a movie theater.

Lance rested his cheek against the top of her head and enjoyed the moment. Since they'd begun dating both had learned to treasure every fleeting moment that didn't include their respective friends interfering with their dates. Right now; with Kitty in his arms; life was prefect Lance decided, despite the ever present nagging ache in his head. He'd have been completely happy if the moment, this feeling, could have lasted the rest of his life.

Kitty forced herself not to giggle as Lance's breathing evened out and he slumped bonelessly against her.  He was asleep before the previews finished showing.  

When the ending credits were done and the lights in the theater came up Lance was still sleeping.  An usher came and stood at the end of the aisle, he glared irritably at them until Kitty regretfully woke Lance. He blinked sleepily, his expression open and vaguely confused. "Is it morning?" he asked.

"Not exactly," Kitty replied thinking it might be nice to wake up with Lance in the morning sometime in the distant future.

Lance looked around, "The movie?"

"All over," Kitty explained. Lance blushed a little. "So are we still one for dinner? I'm buying," she said.

"I hate that," Lance muttered quietly. Kitty sighed buy didn't remark on it, they both knew all the whys. Instead of rehashing them she slid closer and pulled Lance's arm around her shoulders.

The drive to the restaurant was quiet but thoroughly enjoyable. For the moment being mutants, not to mention members of opposing teams was forgotten in the pleasure of togetherness. The peaceful emotion was shattered when they encountered a group of football players, many of them possessing pink hair, in the parking lot outside of the restaurant.

When the the football players spotted Lance their expressions turned ugly. Leaving their girlfriends, including Jean Grey, behind they moved to surround the couple. Lance stepped away from Kitty and smirked.  "Think you've got enough friends this time Matthews?" he asked, his tone challenging.

Kitty looked toward Jean, her expression pleading for the telepath to defuse the situation.

//He and his friends bring this sort of thing on themselves.// Jean thought at Kitty. //This sort of trouble is why you shouldn't be dating him.//

Kitty glared at the redhead, angry at the whole situation. She knew how to deal with super-powered villains but against her fellow students she had to keep her powers hidden. Jean could have quietly resolved things, but instead she was standing by uselessly in the name of letting Kitty learn some sort of perverse lesson about dating Lance. If Lance's idiot friends had tagged along and wrecked their date like normal Kitty would have let them deal with their own mess but Lance was alone. If Lance used his powers he could take on an army and win but even the Brotherhood tried not to get caught using their powers after a taste of the repercussion of being found out.

"Come on Matthews, are you scared of me?" Lance challenged.

Duncan separated himself from the crowd of his friends. "Not in your dreams Alvers," he replied.

A loose circle formed around the two boys. Duncan's expression was arrogant and angry, Lance's was coldly confident.

Kitty felt a measure of unhappy relief; Lance versus Duncan had a lot less potential for disaster than she and Lance versus the football team. 'It's not as if Lance ever made it through a week without some sort of brawl, even if I don't count X-Men/Brotherhood skirmishes,' Kitty thought.

The fight was over almost before it started as Lance laid into the other boy in a no-nonsense manner. He left Duncan sitting on the pavement with a broken nose then collected Kitty with a glance and they started toward the restaurant.  But Duncan's friends couldn't let it end that easily, several of them grabbed Lance's arms and hauled him back.

Jean grabbed Kitty before she could intervene and hissed, "Don't get involved."

"I have had it with this!" Lance cried angrily.

"That's right," Duncan said trying to sound menacing.  

Then the earth began to shake.  

Inside Lance's head something seemed to snap. The dark-haired teen screamed in agony as white-hot pain flooded his mind.

 


	2. Bad News Flies

For a moment after the quake cut off an unnatural stillness gripped the group. Lance slumped bonelessly between Duncan's two friends who were looking guilty and a little scared; they released the dark-haired boy.  Lance fell to the pavement without the slightest reaction and lay there, pale and motionless.

"Lance!" Kitty screamed.  She phased through Jean's hands and ran to his side.

Jean stared at them with a feeling of shocked horror. She hadn't thought… no one should have gotten hurt… not really.

Forcing herself to keeping on thinking, Kitty rolled Lance on to his back and pressed her hand to his chest. A choked sob of relief broke from her as she felt his heart beating against her hand. A moment later the slight rise and fall of his chest reassured her that he was still breathing.

Jean reached out mentally and informed the Professor of the situation asking for his advice. "I'll call 911," she announced loudly a moment later, knowing that Xavier was sending help from the Institute and she wanted to be sure that no one actually called an ambulance if Lance's collapse were related to his mutant abilities.

Kitty racked her brain for any other vital signs she should be checking. She wanted to simply shake Lance and scream until he woke up and told her he was fine. Gingerly she opened his eyes. "Okay, not evenly dilated, that's bad, I'm sure that's bad. What do I do to fix it? Come on Pryde, now is not the time to be a ditz."

Around them the crowd shifted uncertainly, morbid curiosity holding them in place while fear of being blamed for whatever had happened pushed them away.

"I didn't even hit him," Duncan was protesting, mostly to himself. The pair who'd been restraining Lance when he collapsed quietly worked their way to the back of the crowd.

The X-Van pulled up in the parking lot and Storm stepped out. The gathered High Schoolers saw an ambulance and a team of medics.  Storm knelt beside Kitty, she wrapped her winds around Lance's still form as she quietly reassured the distraught girl. "We will fix this," she promised as Lance was gently loaded into the van. Kitty climbed in beside him, her eyes watering.

Jean bit her lip as she watched them prepare to leave. "I should take care of Kitty," she blurted out suddenly and hurried to join the other X-Men. Duncan watched her leave then shrugged carelessly turning back to his friends just happy no one had called the police. He didn't want to be blamed if the other boy was really hurt or anything.

* * *

 

"Kitty do you have any idea of what has happened?" Xavier asked as the van headed back toward the Mansion.

"You know about Lance getting headaches from his powers, right?" Kitty stammered. "Lance never says anything, but I think they've been getting a lot worse."

"I assumed as much," the professor said. "I've scanned his mind, the problem is most likely physical in nature. This is outside of my area of expertise."

"So, like, you can't help?" Kitty asked sounding betrayed.

"I've asked a friend, Dr. Moira MacTaggart to come. I'm certain she will be able to help," Xavier reassured his student.

Kitty nodded, not looking very reassured and on the verge of tears as she held Lance's hand.

"This is my fault," Jean said quietly. "I should have stopped the fight."

"No Jean," Xavier replied. "You should have discouraged the fighting, but you are not responsible for Mr. Alvers condition. I believe his collapse was an inevitable result of using his powers without proper restraint. It was fortunate that it happened while you were present to see that his condition was brought to my attention. I fear his friends would have attempted to handle things on their own." Xavier shook his head tiredly. "They are an irrationally stubborn bunch. Honestly, I expected them to admit the need for adult supervision and assistance months ago. I believed that by allowing them to reach that conclusion on their own it would make things simpler when they joined us."

Once they arrived at the mansion Xavier and McCoy chased Kitty out of the med-lab until they could finish the preliminary examinations Moira would need to start figure out what was wrong with Lance.

Kitty wandered despondently through the school, unable to sit still while she waited.  She knew the chances of them having any definite news before Dr. MacTaggart arrived were slim.  Lost in her thoughts Kitty jumped when a calloused hand clasped her shoulder. "Don't worry half-pint," Mr. Logan said gruffly. "The prof and his doctor friend'll set things right."

Kitty nodded, trying to believe the reassurance. Logan patted her on the shoulder awkwardly then left her to her aimless rambles.

Scott showed up next. "I'm sorry Kitty," he said.

Kitty felt a sudden rush of anger. "No you're not!" she found herself yelling. "You're not sorry, you hate Lance and you hate us dating. Don't act like you care, 'cause you don't!"

"I care about you!" Scott yelled back. "And I'm sorry you're hurting, not that I'm surprised when you're dating Lance Alvers!"

Their raised voices quickly drew an audience. Not that Kitty noticed.

"Don't you try to blame this on Lance!" she yelled. "If this is anybody's fault it's Jean and her idiot, jerk of a boyfriend. You're always blaming Lance and his friends for everything that goes wrong!"

"Maybe because their always at fault," Evan commented snidely.

Kitty turned on him angrily "We cause as much trouble as they do if you want to be honest," she snapped.

"Not intentionally," Kurt protested.

"So what?" Kitty asked her anger dissolving in to sobs.

"Beat it! All of ya!" Rogue ordered glaring at the boys. "Now ain't the time."

As the X-Men and younger students dispersed, the former looking ashamed, Rogue led Kitty into the kitchen.

"This is serious isn't it," Kurt said sounding stunned. "Not just a broken bone or a concussion or something."

"When he screamed, I thought he was dying," Jean confirmed with a shiver as she joined the group.

"Do you think someone should tell the Brotherhood?" Kurt asked.

"They'll just blame us," Scott said. "They probably won't even notice he's gone for a few days; by then we might know what's wrong."

* * *

 

Pietro jumped out of bed and promptly fell on his face. A clicking camera and an insane giggle gave away Tabby's responsibility.  He glanced at his feet and saw a shoelace wrapped around his ankles. Moving bluringly fast he freed himself and dove at Tabby.  In a heartbeat he'd tossed her over his shoulder and  was running downstairs.

"Fair's fair!" Tabby shrieked. "You pulled the chair out from under me at dinner last night!"

The racket woke Todd. He opened his eyes to see a menacing shadow looming over his bed. With an alarmed shout he leapt out of bed and ended up clinging fearfully to the window frame.  With the change in perspective Todd saw that the nightmare figure was supported by the hat -rack from the front hall. The artistic detail that had gone into constructing the scarecrow gave away Pietro's culpability.

A loud splash sounded outside. "Pietro!" Tabby shrieked. Todd looked out the window to see the girl sitting in middle of a mud puddle in the driveway. Pietro was standing over her laughing.

She retaliated with a few cherry bombs.  The first explosion caught Pietro off guard and knocked him on his butt.  Tabby followed up by lobbing mud at the downed speed demon. Pietro shoved her back into the mud puddle then retreated to a safe distance to laugh at her bedraggled appearance.  Neither of them noticed Fred quietly turning on a garden hose until he'd sprayed both of them down. "The water's back on," Fred announced innocently.

In a split second Pietro was back, armed with several water guns and Tabby was in the process of gathering her own armaments.  Todd pulled a Tupperware tub out of his closest, inside were several already prepared water balloons for special occasions, something that seemed to come up at least twice a week. He opened the window and lobbed a balloon at both Pietro and Fred before grabbing his favorite water gun and heading out to join the fun.

"Yo Lance!" He yelled stopping at the rock-tumbler's door. "Water fight!"  Todd frowned at the lack of response and poked his head through the door. The room was empty and several textbooks lay on the bed where Lance had tossed them before heading out for his date.  Todd hurried outside, tossing his water gun on the couch as he ran through the living room.  "Hey guys!" he yelled and was promptly doused. "Cut it out! Lance is missing."

The other three paused, taking in the news.

"So?" Pietro asked. "He stayed out all night on a date, he probably got lucky."

"On a date with Kitty Pryde of the X-Geeks, laser-brains," Tabby snapped. "He's going to have to marry her before he scores."

"Maybe they eloped." Fred suggested, for a moment the other just started at him in disbelief.

"I bet little Miss Valley Girl talked him into giving her loser friends another chance," Tabby said angrily.

"Lance wouldn't ditch us for them, not again anyway," Todd protested.

"We'll-see-him-in-school-if-he-did," Pietro said.

"Speaking of which, we better start walking," Tabby said. "Lance still has the jeep. I've got dibs on the shower."

Before she was halfway across the yard Pietro dashed past her.

"I called it!" Tabby yelled, continuing up the stairs. As she raised her hand to pound on the door it opened, revealing Pietro, neatly dressed and ready for school.

"Is he sick?" Fred wondered.

"Yeah," Todd marveled. "Staring in the mirror is the one thing he takes his time with."

Pietro fidgeted through Tabby's version of a quick shower but shortly after Fred began his turn the silver-haired boy exclaimed. "Slow-slow-slow-I'm-going-for-a-run-bye."

"I'm gonna head for school too," Todd said. "See ya there, yo."

As Todd walked he kicked at rocks in the road. "Lance wouldn't just take off," he repeated.

Roughly two minutes later Pietro swept him off his feet. The next thing Todd knew he was being tossed on the couch, listening to Pietro babble at top speed and at the top of his voice. He was incomprehensible, even to people used to his hyper speed mode of speech.

"Deep breath," Fred said.

"I found Lance's jeep," Pietro repeated more slowly. "Abandoned. We have to find him."

"Do you think Kitty was with Lance when whatever happened?" Todd asked.

"Toad-you're-brilliant!" Pietro exclaimed dashing out. He sped across town, past the Institute's defenses and knocked on the front door.

"What the?" Spyke exclaimed opening the door.

"No-time-for-you, no-time-for-this. Lance-is-gone. Did-they-take-Kitty? Will-you-help-us-get-them-back?"

"Lance is downstairs," Evan said quietly. "He got hurt."

"I-wanna-see-him," Pietro demanded.

Evan gestured for Pietro to follow him.

As far as Pietro was concerned the trip down to the med-lab took an eternity and Evan wasn't even trying to walk at a reasonable rate.

When the last door finally slid open, Pietro froze, taking in the numerous gently beeping machines, Kitty asleep, slumped in a chair beside the bed, holding Lance's hand and finally Lance himself, too still, too pale, lines of pain marking his features despite being deeply unconscious. There were wires attached to Lance's forehead and chest and IV lines in his arms and an oxygen tube in his nose.

"What-did-you-do? What-did-you-do? What-did-you-do…" Pietro demanded.

Before Evan could say anything the speed demon was in motion, zipping through the mansion like a tornado on fast-forward, spreading destruction in his wake, apprehension and fury blending into simple panic.

For a few moments Logan stood in the kitchen doorway.  He watched the blur of motion and sound as it smashed everything in it's path and sent student reeling. Then he walked calmly across the room and waited. A few seconds later his arm shot out and caught Pietro by the arm. The speedster's momentum wasn't enough to overcome Logan's solid, adimantium laced resistance and Pietro was yanked off his stride to land in an ungainly heap at Wolverine's feet.

Instantly the silver-haired boy began to struggle. "Let-go-let-go-let," he chanted.

"Calm down!" Logan ordered finding it nearly impossible to keep his hold on the teen.

Pietro's voice rose into a plaintive wail.

//Pietro, enough!// Xavier projected using his powers to forcibly settle the boy. //We didn't hurt your friend. We are trying to help him.//

Logan hauled the suddenly unresisting teen to a chair and stood behind him.  He kept his hands firmly planted on Pietro's shoulders to prevent a repeat of the boy's early rampage. Meanwhile the Institute's students slowly picked themselves off the floor and looked around at the damage.

"Scott, would you go pick-up the rest of Lance's friends so I may explain the situation?" Xavier requested.

"On my way Professor," Scott said.

* * *

 

"He should be back," Todd said. "How long could it take? This is Pietro we're talking about."

"Yeah, but he's gotta wait for the X-Men to decide we should work together," Tabby pointed out.

"That could take forever!" Fred exclaimed.

"We should start looking ourselves," Todd said. "Pietro should have told us where he found the jeep."

The sound of a car pulling into their driveway drifted into the room. Todd leapt to the window. "It's Summers," he announced. Without another word being spoken the trio charged outside and to Scott's dismay, tumbled into his car almost before it stopped moving.

"Let's get this rescue underway," Todd exclaimed slapping Scott on the shoulder as Fred settled his considerable bulk in the passenger's seat.

"Lance doesn't need rescuing," Scott said.

"Where is he?" Todd demanded, his voice suddenly and surprisingly threatening.

"He passed out while he was with Kitty," Scott summarized. "We brought him back to the Institute for medical treatment."

"What's wrong with him? Why didn't he call us?" Todd demanded.

"The Professor will explain," Scott sighed. "Lance is still unconscious, but I guess we should have let you guys know what was going on. No one realized how worried you were getting."

Fred frowned at Scott. "Who else is going to worry if we don't?" he asked.

"We look out for each other yo," Todd added. "Like Fred says, no one else cares."

* * *

 

Kitty watched Pietro, the silver-haired boy stood stiffly by the door of the med-lab. She couldn't remember ever seeing Pietro remain still for so long. It was a brittle stillness, as if he were afraid that the slightest movement might set off another panicky race through the mansion.  Kitty realized that as hard as this was for her it was going to be worse for Lance's friends, at least she had faith in the Professor and the other adult X-Men. This was one of those problems that were too much for a high school student, even ones with a group of super-powered teammates, to take care of. Luckily she didn't need to.  The Brotherhood on the other hand, had been abandoned by every grown-up who'd ever promised to help them and from their point of view they were being forced to leave Lance's welfare in the hands of their enemies.

"It's going to be okay," Kitty said softly.

Jerkily Pietro pulled his gaze away from Lance to glare at Kitty. "You don't even know what's wrong with him," he said curtly.

"The Professor will figure it out, you'll see," Kitty promised.

Pietro speared her with another glare. "He couldn't figure out how to turn off Rogue's power. He can't even give Cyclops control of his powers and Summers has been under his care longer than anyone."

"Fine," Kitty snapped her eyes tearing up again. "Lance is never going to get better."

Pietro flinched.

A while later Todd, Fred and Tabby nervously ventured in, guided by Scott. For a moment they stood clustered in the doorway. Then Todd moved to pat Lance gingerly on the shoulder.  "We're all here now. We'll take care of you," Todd said sounding less sure than he would have liked to.

Scott withdrew as the Brotherhood settled in, joining Kitty in keeping vigil.

The professor met him in the hall. "Thank you Scott, now you'd best get to school. I've already called Principal Kelly and made your excuses."

"Should I get Kitty?" Scott asked.

"Missing one day of classes won't hurt her and her mind wouldn't be on her school work even if she were there." Xavier said. "Besides her presence may help assure the others that we mean Lance no harm. Moira will be arriving in a few hours and I anticipated difficulties when she begins to investigate the causes of Lance's collapse."

"Should I stay?" Scott asked frowning with concern.

"I wish to reassured them not instigate a fight," Xavier said with a sigh. "Your primary rival may be unconscious, but do you honestly believe you can spend the day with the Brotherhood and not have the intra-group rivalries explode?"

"Whatever you think is best," Scott said stiffly, his face coloring with embarrassment.

 


	3. Decisions and Conversations

"I think we should make a real effort to be nice to them, no matter how obnoxious they are," Scott said looking around the cafeteria table at the other X-Men. "They're taking this thing with Lance petty hard."

"Well what'd ya expect?" Rogue asked. "I mean how'd we feel if it were one of us who was bein' killed by our own powers?"

A small shudder went around the group.  For the most part they had been avoiding the topic of what had caused Lance's collapse. Both the X-Men and the Brotherhood generally thought of their powers as a gift and even Rogue's uncontrollable ability didn't put her life in danger. It wasn't comfortable to be faced with evidence that the uniqueness of their genetic structure could give them powers beyond their body's ability to withstand.

"So what do you vant us to do?" Kurt asked.

"Well I think they're probably going to stay at the Mansion until this is over one way or another. So don't let them antagonize you. No taking challenges… Evan that means you. No insult wars or prank wars. Try to be friendly, we've done it before."

"Before we knew them," Jean said cattily then blushed, putting her hand to her mouth as if to force the words back. "I didn't mean that. I know you're right Scott but you just mean at the mansion, right? Not at school, what would our teachers think if we suddenly started hanging out with them?"

"They're the one's who always start things," Evan objected. "You can't expect me to just ignore Pietro's stunts. He dumped paint on me yesterday!"

"Look, I think you're pretty far off his radar right now, so can you handle avoiding him?" Scott asked Evan sounding frustrated. "And Jean, act like normal, you barely hang out with us at school anymore, I'd hardly expect you to start spending time with them. Just keep Duncan and the rest of your friends from starting anything with them, okay?"

Evan and Jean nodded.

"I vill look out for Tabitha," Kurt volunteered.

"Huge surprise," Rogue said. "Ah guess that leaves you and Ah to watch out for the guys, Scott. Less you wanta recruit some of the new mutants?"

"No," Scott sighed. "They'd be a bad influence on the kids."

* * *

 

"What are they doing?" Pietro demanded.

Todd glanced back at Pietro from his perch on Fred's shoulder. "She's looking at the cat scans they took of his head some more," he reported.

"Why doesn't she do something? Why couldn't we have stayed in there?" Pietro demanded pacing the small room.

"You wouldn't quit bugging her, that's why we got kicked out," Kitty snapped. "Move Blob, it's my turn for the window."

"I hate this, hate-it-hate-it!" Pietro explained.

"Why don't you go running," Tabby suggested tiredly. "We're all sick of watching you pace."

Pietro glared at her.

"It's not a bad idea yo," Todd said. "All we can do is wait."

"You don't do waiting well," Fred added.

"Fine, I-can-tell-when-I'm-not-wanted!" Pietro exclaimed and disappeared in a burst of speed.

The other sighed with relief at his departure.

"Move it!" Kitty repeated a moment later glaring at Todd and Fred.

"Use your powers ditz," Tabby said.

Kitty glared at the other girl, her cheeks coloring hotly. Then she leaned through the wall phasing just far enough to see in.

"It'll relieve the boy's symptoms Charles," Dr. MacTaggart was saying. "But this operation isn't a cure. I've yet to determine the root cause of his problem, let alone found a way ta solve it. The surgery isna without risks and given another year or two we'll be right back in the same snarl."

"But we will have that time to research a more permanent solution," Xavier said.

"Aye, that we will," Moira replied. "But I needed ta be sure ye understand that this is a stop-gag, nothing more."

"Understood," Xavier replied. "Shall we begin?"

Moira nodded.

Kitty pulled her head back through the wall with a gulp. She walked across the hall and sank into one of the chairs, her face pale.

"What's with you?" Tabby asked.

"They said surgery," Kitty said in a sickly voice. "I don't think I want to see that."

Todd hopped off of Fred's shoulder and joined Kitty. "It'll fix him right?" he asked.

"I think he'll wake up after they're done," Kitty replied deciding that a partial truth was the kindest answer.

* * *

 

After school when the X-Men arrived at the Institute they noticed Pietro lying on the front lawn.

Scott and Rogue exchanged a glance and then the Goth-girl sighed. "Ah got it, you go check on the others."

"Thanks Rogue," Scott said as she climbed out of his convertible and started walking toward Pietro.

The silver-haired boy was gasping for breath and dripping with sweat.

"You okay?" Rogue asked a touch of concern in her voice.

"Out of breath, tired," Pietro panted.  Grudgingly he openned his eyes to look at her.

"Ah can see that," Rogue replied. "Just never seen you out of energy before."

"You've never seen me run before," Pietro replied.

Rogue snorted with disbelief. "What do you call what you do practically all day long?" she asked.

"Just my mutation," Pietro said. "Twenty miles an hour is a leisurely stroll for me. Moving, talking, living at your tempo is like pretending I'm moving through molasses."

"So what were you running for?" Rogue asked.

For a moment she didn't think Pietro would answer and when he did he wasn't so much talking to her as just talking. "Who ever said you can't run away from your problems never tried it," he said. "If you run hard enough everything goes away, all you think about is keeping the pace, you can't worry."

"You gotta stop though," Rogue pointed out. "Even you."

"I know that," Pietro said angrily. "At least it's a break. It's not even like he's a friend. Well, not someone I would have chosen for a friend… I guess that's the fun part of not having a choice. I think I care more about Lance than about the people I wanted as friends before the whole mutant thing started."

Rogue sat down on the grass beside him. "Ah know what you mean. After all Jean and Kitty ain't exactly mah type of people, but Ah'm closer to them than Ah am to Risty, cause no matter how much Ah have in common with her or how much Ah like her we've got this secret that she ain't a part of. Even if Ah told her about being a mutant Ah don't think she'd understand."

Pietro nodded. They sat together in silence for a while then he asked. "Why'd you leave us?"

"With mah mutation it ain't easy to buy into Magneto's spiel about us being superior," Rogue said.

"Come on," Pietro replied rolling his eyes. "Do you honestly think any of us buys that line? The next step in evolution, destined to inherit the planet, blah, blah, blah. We're a bunch of freaks, some of whom get luckier than others. Even me and I'm just about perfect but sometimes it would be nice if someone could keep up with me."

"Like you enjoy competing with Evan till you're ready to kill each other?" Rogue snorted.

Pietro frowned at her. "The only reason I can stand talking with you for so long is because I don't have any energy left to do anything else. There's nothing, no one that fits with me, that lives any where near my pace."

"Like Ah don't know what it's like being alone, I can't touch remember," Rogue replied and the conversation faltered again.

"Why do you guys stay with Magneto if you don't believe in him?" Rogue asked after awhile.

"Because he ditched us first," Pietro replied facetiously.

"Really," Rogue pressed.

"Do you want to be killed when they find out about us?" Pietro asked. "I don't buy into the destiny stuff, but if it's normal people or us… your group will do the same when they come for you. And Magneto and Mystique never asked us to pretend to share their ideals, hell even Mystique doesn't really believe all of Magneto's crap, they just wanted us to do what we're told. How can you stand Baldy preaching at you day and night about living in harmony with them then having him freak at the idea of them finding out?"

"Least we try to hope," Rogue replied. "Even if maybe we don't totally believe all the time."

"Hope's for suckers," Pietro said rolling to his feet.

Rogue followed him inside and down to the med lab.

Pietro frowned at the empty hall worriedly then walked in.

"Yo, Quickie," Todd said, his voice subdued but happy. "The prof says Lance is gonna be fine."

"He's sure?" Pietro asked with a relieved sigh as he grabbed a chair.

"Yeah," Kitty said.  She'd taken what was rapidly becoming her normal spot holding Lance's hand. "The professor says he can sense Lance's brainwaves returning to normal."

"What happened? Why'd it happen? What do we do so it doesn't happen again?" Pietro demanded.

Dr. MacTaggart hesitated, glancing toward Xavier; he easily picked up on her concerns about doctor-patient confidentiality.

"Go ahead," he said. "They'll need to understand."

Moira nodded, she pulled up a chair facing the Brotherhood and Kitty. "Lance's powers seem to be causing a type of hydrocephalus, a build up of fluids in his skull, causing his headaches. When the pressure reached critical levels he lost consciousness. I preformed surgery to drain off the excess fluids and reduce the pressure to normal levels."

"So if Lance keeps using his powers this will happen again?" Pietro asked frowning.

"I'm afraid so," Moira replied. "This condition is treatable, in baseline humans there are a number of different assignable causes and there are a number of proven treatments as well. However, Lance's symptoms appear to be directly related to his mutation and until I understand the interaction between his symptoms and his powers I'm reluctant to attempt anything beyond ameliorating the immediate danger. Further complicating the matter, my surgery, while necessary to prevent any brain damage, temporarily compromises the brain's natural protective structures; until he has completely recovered from his surgery any use of his abilities could prove fatal. I won't even begin to be able to investigate a cure or permanent solution for at least three months."

Pietro looked toward Xavier, his expression suspicious. "That means we'll have to stay here," he said. "Until she finds a way to fix Lance, right?"

"Lance will have to stay," Xavier replied. "The rest of you are welcome to do so as well, provided you abide by the Institute's rules."

"I figured," Pietro said. "You know, sometimes I can really see how you and D- Magneto were friends. He's good at turning other people's problems to his advantage too." He looked toward the other three members of the Brotherhood, seeing no overt decent he said. "Okay, we're in.  Until Lance is better at least. When is he going to wake up?"

"I expect it will happen sometime tomorrow," Xavier said. "Until then I think it would be best if you all attended school tomorrow."

"No," Pietro replied. "We're not just going to abandon Lance here."

"All right," Xavier compromised. "One of you may stay."

Pietro glanced uncertainly between his friends. "Fred stays," he said after a moment's consideration.

"Can I stay?" Kitty asked.

"I'm sorry Kitty," Xavier said. "I was will to make an exception today because of our uncertainty regarding Lance's condition. Now that we know he is stable and improving I think it would be best if you resumed classes."

"Yes Professor," Kitty sighed. "You'll let me know as soon as he wakes up though, won't you?"

"Certainly," Xavier said. "Now we should see about settling everyone in. Pietro I'd like you to share a room with Scott, Todd with…"

"Hang-on-one-second!" Pietro exclaimed. "This place is a mansion, why should we share rooms?"

"I find sharing quarters helps build camaraderie and improves my students' ability to function as a team," Xavier said.

"This isn't permanent," Pietro replied. "Don't start trying to incorporate us into your little dream."

"Then the three boys may share the guest room," Xavier said. "Tabitha your old spot is still open."

"Fine, whatever," Tabby said. "We both know I don't belong here, living in my old room won't change that."

"I'll go collect some things for us," Pietro volunteered.

 


	4. Settling In

The sun had barely crested the horizon when a loud banging echoed through the guest room in the Xavier Institute for the Gifted.

Fred slept on undisturbed. Todd stirred briefly, he checked the room for imminent threats then pulled his pillow over his head and when back to sleep. "Do-you-have-any-idea-what-time-it-is?" Pietro yelled irritably at the knocker. "Go-away!"

"There's a danger room session scheduled for before breakfast," Logan's rough voice replied. "Charles wants you three to participate. You've got fifteen minutes to get yourselves out of bed and ready. You don't want to be late."

The unspecified threat in Wolverine's voice was more than enough incentive to get the three boys scrambling into their clothes. All three disdained the X-Men training uniforms they found left for them in the hallway, preferring their own battle gear.

"You think this is for our benefit or are they just nuts?" Todd wondered.

"Look-at-Summers, what-do-you-think," Pietro replied.

"It's normal," Todd decided. "Bunch of goody-two-shoes geeks."

Protests not withstanding the trio joined Xavier's students well before Wolverine's deadline. They were heartened to note that the majority of the X-Men were no happier than they were about being awake at the crack of dawn. Even Jean was looking cross and discretely yawning.

Scott led the mostly disgruntled group of X-Men and Brotherhood members into the bowels of the mansion.

"Oh shit," Todd exclaimed as the doors slid open, "I remember this place, it tried to kill me!"

"We'll protect you," Fred promised giving Todd a reassuring thump on the back that all but knocked the smaller boy to his knees.

"The setting will be much lower this time," Scott promised. "Today's exercise is a variation of capture the flag. Whichever team gets across the room and back with their flag first wins. Use your powers to assist you or hinder the other team as much as you like, but remember this is just a training exercise, no one should get hurt." Scott paused to give the Brotherhood a warning glare. "Kurt it's your turn to help Wolverine man the room's defenses."

"I thought I was next," Evan complained.

Scott glanced from Evan to Pietro and back.  He thought about the possibilities for disaster with Evan controlling the room while Pietro was in it. "Not this time," he said. "Okay today's blue team, by random drawing is Jean, Quicksilver, Rogue and Shadowcat. Which leaves myself, Spyke, Blob and Toad as the gold team."

Kurt bamfed up to the control room as the two teams spread out for a quick strategy session.

"This'll be a breeze," Pietro laughed. "Just let me do my thing."

Jean watched the silver haired boy walk arrogantly back toward the starting mark. "Okay ladies, lets keep Mr. Ego from falling on his ass," She sighed. "I doubt Toad or the Blob can do much to slow him down, but Evan's and especially Scott's projectiles could make life difficult for the speed demon. Rogue, you keep Cyclops busy, Kitty and I will take Spyke. Knowing Evan it's going to be a job and a half to distract him from going after Quicksilver."

Rogue nodded decisively, she and Jean started after Pietro. "Kitty, you coming?" Rogue called.

The slight brown haired girl jerked her head up. "What?" she asked distractedly.

"Come on," Rogue repeated.

Scott glanced over at the other team. "Blob, Toad, I need to know upfront, are you guys going to play to win? 'Cause if we want to stand any chance at all we need to take out Quicksilver."

"Quickie ain't exactly a graceful winner," Todd said. "If I gotta share a room with him, he don't need braggin' rights."

"Alright," Scott said. "Spyke, you're going for the flag. Blob run interference. Toad… How well does Quicksilver deal with slippery surfaces?"

"I like how you think Summers," Toad said grinning.

"Just keep in mind that Wolverine is in the control booth. The room will probably be as big of a challenge as the other team and Mr. Logan thinks pain makes lessons sink in better."

"Big surprise," Fred snorted.

The four boys joined the other team at the staring line.

"Let's get this over with already," Pietro exclaimed.

"Toad?" Scott asked quietly. The sandy haired teen nodded. "We're ready?" Scott called out. "On my mark. Three, two, one!"

As Scott's count down ended the doors opened and Pietro started running only to skid on a patch of slime. Cyclops' optic blasts ended any illusion of control the boy had.

Spyke hopped on his skateboard and started into the obstacle course as Jean reached out with her powers to stop Quicksilver before the wall did.

"Thanks," the speedster yelled, sounding a little startled but not letting that slow him down.

What Jean hadn't noticed was that while she helped Quicksilver the rest of the teens had already entered the room. With an apologetic shrug, Cyclops triggered the door, locking her out of the danger room and the game.

The rest of them were quickly swept up in dodging and ducking the room's traps.

Scott's eyes widened in alarm as he saw a wall dropping toward Shadowcat. Kitty's gaze was distant and inattentive. He dove for the girl, knocking her clear.

"What's the matter with you?" Scott demanded angrily. "You're better than that."

Kitty shrugged and sighed.

"Look if you can't focus just get out of here before you get hurt!" Scott said.

Kitty nodded then phased out of the room. As Cyclops turned back to the game a metal tentacle caught him around the waist pinning his arms to his side.

"Take your own advice sometimes Summers," Cyclops muttered. "Guys I'm out!"

"No problemo, I got it covered," Spyke called out crouching on his board as several bolos flew over his head.

"Guess-again-slowpoke," Quicksilver exclaimed, knocking Spyke off his board then pausing to harass the other mutant.

"Yo, Fred we're getting totally left behind here," Toad exclaimed. "Gimme a boost."

The Blob scooped up his slight friend and tossed him toward the far end of the room.

"Geronimoooo!" Toad screamed as he twisted in mid-air to avoid a laser beam. Then he hopped from the top of a cannon emplacement to a tentacle, before landing neatly beside the gold flag just as Quicksilver grabbed the blue one and started back.

Quicksilver was a fourth of the way back across the room when a spike embedded itself in his path. He stumbled and two more spikes pinned him in place.

"Got ya!" Spyke crowed.

"Gimme the flag!" Rogue exclaimed running up to Quicksilver.

"You'll-need-more-than-that-to-win," Pietro said.  He touched her cheek before she could pull away then impatiently counted the fractions of a second until her powers took hold of his essence.

"Don't-do-that!" Rogue exclaimed talking a mile a minute as she pulled away.

"Time's-a-wasting!" Quicksilver yelled. Rogue turned and sped away, leaping over a pit that opened in the floor to the finish line.

"Alright!" She crowed.

"We-win! We-win!" Pietro cheered pulling free of Spyke's trap to race across the now quiescent room and swing Rogue around in an impromptu victory celebration.

"He's going to be impossible to live with," Todd sighed.

"Nice team work guys," Scott said joining his despondent group.

"We lost," Fred pointed out.

Scott shrugged, "Pietro and Rogue, via borrowing his powers, had a big edge in this game, but Todd was only a few seconds behind her. Besides, bragging rights rarely last long around here. Come on, let's get breakfast."

At that Fred's expression brightened.

"So this is your morning schedule," Todd said. "Volunteer for abuse, then go have breakfast."

"It's not that different from what we do," Fred said. "Only we have a lot more pranks and getting even thrown in."

"Got a point Freddy," Todd said. "Race you to the kitchen!"

Logan lept back into the control booth narrowly avoiding the pair as they charged the elevator. Kurt wasn't so lucky and ended up carelessly knocked aside.  "If they've got this much energy after a training session I'm not trying hard enough," Logan grumbled.

"I thought it went really well," Scott said helping Kurt to his feet.

"Dah, no one even tried to kill anyone," Kurt said.

* * *

 

Kitty didn't show up for breakfast.  Logan found her sitting on the steps in front of the mansion.  "I know, I screwed up, endangered myself and Scott because I wasn't thinking and emergencies can happen at any time so I can't let a bad day throw off my game. I'm sorry already," Kitty said without looking at him. "Now leave me alone."

"I wasn't gonna lecture at you half-pint," Logan said. "This situation has you pretty shook up and that's okay, but you heard the Prof and Dr. MacTaggart, Avalanche is going to be fine."

"Until the next time," Kitty said. "Can you really see Lance 'Avalanche' Alvers not using his powers? You know I was comparing notes with Pietro and Todd; we figure it's a miracle Lance hasn't ODed on painkillers sometime in the last month or so and that didn't stop him. Why should this?"

"Kitty, take my word for it, your boy isn't suicidal and he does have control over his powers. He'll hold off using 'em until we can figure out how to fix things for real," Logan said.

Kitty stood up slowly and started inside to collect her books. "You're probably right," she said. "But do you ever just have a bad feeling about something?"

* * *

 

 

"So um, what am I supposed to be doing?" Fred asked as Pietro and Todd got ready for school.

"I don't know," Pietro sighed. "It's not like I think they'll hurt him or anything and I believe Baldy when he says Lance's mind is going back to normal, I just don't want to leave him alone and helpless… Just keep an eye on things and if someone decides to trash the mansion or something get Lance out of their way."

"Okay," Fred said.

"Don't worry about it," Pietro said. "I'll check in between classes, it's not like I need a whole five minutes to get around the school, even if I do detour across town while I'm at it."

"And we all ditch as soon as Lance wakes up," Todd reminded the older boy. "You ain't leaving me out, yo."

* * *

 

Shortly after first period began, the Brotherhood were called to the Principal's office.  Upon hearing what Kelly had to say Peitro stared at him with a look of disbelief and fury.  "But we couldn't come, Professor Xavier even called you. You can't put us in detention," he protested.

"Only you aren't Institute students and the good Professor has no authority to pull you out of school," Kelly said smugly. "I'll see you in detention after school. You can tell Mr. Dukes and Mr. Alvers that as well when you see them."

"Lance is in a fucking coma!" Pietro practically screamed in Kelly's face. "So lay off before I do something I regret!"

* * *

 

Fred watched Lance stir restlessly. He thought that was a good sign. In any case it scared him less than seeing Lance lying deathly still like he had the day before. Still Fred was more than ready to have the dark haired boy wake up for real and tell him everything was going to go back to normal.

Sure the grub was good at the Institute and he didn't have to worry about whether or not they'd even have food tomorrow, let alone good food, but he didn't want things to change.

With the Brotherhood he had friends, people who teased him because they liked him not because they thought he was a freak. With Mystique gone there was no one to boss them around or ball them out or spew propaganda at them. Things were uncomfortably tight when it came to money, but Lance never let it get too bad. There had been a few months when they'd had to choose between running water and heat, but it wasn't that bad.

Fred's train of thought was broken by Lance opening his eyes. The oversized teen grinned broadly. "Hey, you're back."  He felt a stab of disappointment and concern when Lance didn't respond.

Lance blinked a couple of times, his eyes tracking randomly around the room without really seeing anything. Unsteadily he reached up to push his long bangs out of his face. He paused when his hand encountered the bandages around his head. After a few moments his hand fell back to his side.

"Lance?" Fred asked, reaching out to hesitantly touch the other boy's shoulder.

Lance turned toward him briefly, then his gaze slid away.

"Dr. MacTaggart!" Fred yelled. "Something's wrong!"

The red-haired Scot hurried into the room, she took a few moments to evaluate the situation then smiled reassuringly at Fred. "This is perfectly normal, nary a reason for concern. This isna quite like waking up after a night's rest, more like emerging from a deep dive, coming back ta the surface is a gradual process, ye have ta give him time to reacclimate. He's almost there."

"Did-something-happen?" Pietro asked seeming to appear from thin air.

Moira sighed and prepared to explain again.

* * *

 

Scott frowned seeing Todd pinned up against a locker by Duncan Matthews, two of the jock's teammates hovering behind them.

Scott noted all three had bleached the dye from the Brotherhood's prank back out, but they still were looking to settle the score.

"Let him go," Scott said firmly, moving to intervene. Todd sighed with relief as Duncan let him slip to the floor.

"Mind your own business Summers," Duncan said.

"I just find it interesting that it takes three of you to pick on one scrawny freshmen," Scott said. "Can't you guys find a hobby?"

"Jean isn't here to protect you, so maybe you should back off," Duncan snapped.

"Come on Matthews, Fred'll be back tomorrow and if Todd gets beaten up today you know it's going to get ugly so give it a rest," Scott said.

"Who's afraid of that fat freak?" Duncan laughed.

"Well you, or don't you remember Mr. Dumpster?" Todd asked.

"Don't help," Scott said watching Duncan's face go red.

"What'd-I-miss?" Pietro asked rushing up. Scott sighed at the other boy's blatant use of his powers.

"Just Dunce and crew trying to pound me, yo," Todd said sarcastically.

"I think they're ready to leave now," Pietro said smugly a second before a fist cracked into his jaw. The surprised speedster stared up at Duncan from the floor.

Duncan reached down to grab him and Scott swept the football player's legs out from under him. "You were warned," Scott said grimly as Pietro leapt to his feet.

"I-can-take-care-of-this," Pietro hissed.

"Shut up Quicksilver," Scott said punching one of Matthew's friends. The third guy moved to join the fight and fell on his face, thanks to Quicksilver tying his shoes together.

The sound of fighting drew several other students including Jean. Duncan glared at Scott. "This isn't over Summers," he said. "Tolansky, keep looking over your shoulder."

The three mutants relaxed as the jocks withdrew. "You okay Todd?" Scott asked.

"We could have handled them ourselves," Pietro said.

"Speak for yourself, yo," Todd said as Pietro added. "You don't have to play Lance," under his breath, directing a quick glare at Scott.

"I don't like Duncan any more than you do," Scott said quietly. "And I don't stand by while he and his cronies bully someone."

"Geeze Pietro, lighten up," Todd said.

"Whatever, come on Toad we have some plans to make," Pietro said.

"Don't start any trouble," Scott warned as they walked off.

"Who us? Never," Todd called back throwing an innocent grin over his shoulder.

"Why am I not reassured," Scott sighed turning toward his own class.


	5. Leave Taking

Pietro flopped down on the couch beside Rogue. "Lance is going to kill me," he announced.

"Any reason why?" Rogue asked.

"Kelly was an ass," Pietro explained. "So-Todd-and-I-repainted-his-car."

"So what's new?" Rogue asked. "Yah go psychedelic or plain old obnoxious this time?"

"We decided to show school spirit," Pietro said. "And this time we disassembled the car before we painted it."

"That's going the extra mile," Rogue said. "Ah still don't see why Lance is gonna be upset."

"Kelly-cut-us-out-of-the-free-lunch-program," Pietro said. "Lance-has-been-keeping-him-from-following-through-on-that-threat-since-the-second-week-Kelly-got-here."

"You're right, Lance is going to kill you, unless…" Rogue trailed off.

Pietro looked up at her hopefully.

"Unless Freddy gets to you first," Rogue finished.

"You are sooo helpful," Pietro sighed.

Todd hopped into the room. "Lance is up and talking and everything!" he exclaimed.

Pietro jumped up and vanished in the direction of the med-lab.

"They've been here for more than twenty-four hours and the place is still standing?" Lance was asking Kitty who'd hopped up onto the bed to curl up in his arms. Pietro noted they both looked more than slightly pleased by the seating arrangement.  Fred stood leaning against the wall grinning like an idiot.  Todd and Rogue arrived in the doorway behind Pietro.  Dr. MacTaggart and Professor Xavier hovered in the background while they waited for everyone to satisfy themselves that Lance was all right.

" 'bout time you woke up lazy bones," Pietro said.

"You know I wanted out of that history exam today," Lance replied.

"How you feeling Rocky? Rogue asked.

"Good actually," Lance said. "I can't remember the last time my head didn't hurt."

Impulsively Todd hugged Lance.

"Don't tell me you were worried," Lance said, half-grinning at the younger boy.

"Who me?" Todd asked pulling away quickly, his cheeks burning scarlet.

* * *

 

Kurt knocked on the door "Tabitha!" he called. When no one replied he bamfed into the room.

Tabby was halfway out the window, a duffle bag swung over her shoulder.

"Vhat are you doing?" Kurt asked, looking shocked.

"Kinda obvious, Blue," Tabby said.

"But vhy?" Kurt asked.

"You know I don't belong here," Tabby sighed. "We've been here before."

"The rest of the Brotherhood is trying," Kurt objected.

"For Lance's sake," Tabby said. "I just moved in with them because it was convenient. You know?  I wasn't one of you so I must be one them, right? Now they're here and I don't belong anywhere."

"No Tabby," Kurt protested.

"I liked living with the boys, it was a blast," Tabby replied. "But Lance isn't enough of a reason for me to stay out of trouble. Tell him I'm glad he's okay, but this place gives me hives."

"But vhere vill you go?" Kurt asked.

"Bye Blue, don't be too good," Tabby said slipping out the window.

* * *

 

Lance stood up testing his balance while Dr. MacTaggart finished explaining what had happened to him. Except for the two of them the med-lab was empty.

"So how long till I can use my powers again?" Lance asked.

"For the next four months you shouldn't even attempt to use them," Moira said. "That will give you time to heal from the surgery. Then we can start working on preventing this from reoccurring. I have several very good leads…"

"But Avalanche might be out of commission forever," Lance finished unhappily.

"Whatever happens ye'll still have a life afterwards, next to that yer powers aren't that huge of a sacrifice," Moira replied. "Not that I really believe it'll come to that."

"What was I thinking," Lance said sarcastically.

* * *

 

"Pietro I'd appreciate it if you helped Rogue with the dishes tonight," Xavier said.

Pietro shrugged.  He grabbed a couple of plates and followed the Goth-girl into the kitchen.

"Normally I don't do group work," Pietro said as the door shut behind them. "It cramps my style too much, but I'll make an exception for you."

"Why thank ya kindly," Rogue replied rolling her eyes. "Ah've always wanted the honor of doing the dishes with ya."

"Yeah, but you get to do them my way," Pietro said darting around her and stealing a kiss. "Now lets get this over with."

For a moment that felt much longer than the clock's measure Rogue simply stood there, wide-eyed with shock, her fingertips pressed to her lips.

"Come on, don't just stand around," Pietro said impatiently.

"Ya kissed me," Rogue stammered.

"Don't act like that's never happened before," Pietro said.

"Well it hasn't, least not to me," Rogue exclaimed crossly.

Pietro was taken off guard for a moment then said. "I should do better for a first kiss." And before Rogue could protest he'd wrapped her in his arms and gently kissed her.

When he pulled away Rogue looked even more thunderstruck. "Mah powers didn't…" she began.

"We're both in my time frame," Pietro said shrugging. "To you and I it felt like a normal length kiss but it really wasn't long at all, your powers couldn't keep up. I noticed the time lag this morning when I loaned you my powers in the danger room."

"Ah… Ah… Ah don't know what to say," Rogue said. "Ah didn't think anybody'd ever kiss me without passing out in the middle and ending up hating me forever.

Rogue grinned and stole another quick kiss. "Thank you," she whispered.

Pietro, to his immense shock, found himself without a smooth reply.

The dish took almost ten minutes to get done as both Rogue and Pietro found themselves repeatedly distracted by stolen kisses.

* * *

 

Lance waited for the mansion's inhabitant to settle in for the night. Then he got out of bed, got dressed and unwrapped the bandages around his head and shook his longish hair forward to cover the shaved patch and stitches.  Moving silently he crept upstairs and toward the garage. He paused at the door, softly he said. "Sorry guys. You're all probably going to be furious with me, but for once I'm going to do the leaving."  Lance glanced over the Institute's collection of vehicles, his eyes settled on Scott's convertible. "I'd rather have the jeep," he said to himself as he picked up the keys from a rack by the door. "But I don't really feel up to walking into town to get it back and I'm sure Summers is feeling guilty about our little fight the other day anyway, I'll let this be his apology."

By the time the sun rose Lance had left the Institute and Bayville far behind.

* * *

 

"He stole my car!" Scott reported. "I can't believe he stole my car."

"What was he supposed to do? Walk?" Todd said sarcastically as Kitty snarled. "No one gives a damn about your stupid car."

"Why'd Lance leave?" Fred asked. "He didn't say nothing about leaving."

"Because we would have stopped him, stupid," Pietro snapped. "Lance is nuts and he's gonna get hurt so we have to drag him back here. We can have the cops look for the car or something."

"We can do better," Kitty said.

"Yes," Xavier said. "I can locate Lance with Cerebro. Then we can talk to him, but if he truly doesn't want to be here we can't force him to return."

"We can make him give my car back," Scott said.

"Screw that," Pietro exclaimed. "Lance-is-sick, he-needs-help. If-he-doesn't-realize-that-I-have-no-problem-making-him-let-us-fix-him."

"Me either," Kitty said as the members of the Brotherhood nodded their agreement.

"We will talk to him," Xavier said firmly.

* * *

 

When Lance saw the X-Jet descending on to the road in front of him he pulled the convertible to the side of the road and set his expression. Mentally he'd worked out several versions of this conversation depending on who came after him. Upon seeing Xavier and Logan were the only ones getting off the plane Lance sighed with relief; he hadn't been looking forward to confronting any of his friends or Kitty.  Lance forced himself to sit and watch them approach without expression. Once they were within speaking range he asked, "Are you here to keep up appearances or have you actually deluded yourselves into thinking I can still be useful to you?"

"I don't know why you would feel that way," Xavier said. "We are simply concerned about you."

Lance snorted in disbelief. "Come on, everybody knows you pick and choose your students based on how useful they are your little dream."

"I most certainly do not," Xavier said frowning.

Lance laughed. "Yeah right, and you put exactly the same amount of effort into recruiting Toad as you put into recruiting Rogue. I mean, it's not like I don't get it, or anything:  Rogue could be really dangerous if she wanted to be.  I wouldn't want her running around giving mutants a bad name if I were in your shoes and Todd's powers are pretty crappy really. Hell, I bet you wouldn't have cared about Spyke if it weren't for his Aunt; you know he isn't that powerful and he really has too many attitude problems for your bunch. The way I figure it, you're getting a wish come true by my leaving. No more bad influence hanging around Kitty and it's not like I'm dangerous anymore, but you have to try to look good in front of your students. So okay, you tried, now you can fuck off and leave me alone."

"If that is how you feel," Xavier said stiffly. "I won't force you to accept help."

Logan frowned as Xavier started back toward the jet then he turned back to Lance. "Drop the attitude kid, I can smell that you're scared half out of your mind. Don't blame ya really, must feel like your own body's turned against you. Course you weren't ever the trusting, faith in humanity type were ya. I figure this isn't helping any, now can't even trust yourself. But believe me, running away isn't going to make things better. You aren't solving anything and you're hurting the people that care about you. 'Sides, what have ya got to lose? Even if your powers can't be fixed, at least ya tried. You won't be any worse off."

"Yes I will," Lance said quietly. "I can't take anymore pipe-dreams:  Someday my parents will come back.  Someday we won't be losers who have to hide our mutant abilities.  Someday Mystique'll come back.  Someday my powers won't hurt me… so many somedays, they don't ever get here and I'm tried of letting them slowly kill me. As for my friends, they think they want me back right now, but how long will that last?"

"Because ya ain't got your powers?" Logan asked. "I think you're selling your friends short and I know Kitty ain't that shallow. Hell if this teaches you to stay out of trouble, it'll probably do your relationship a world of good, because I won't have to kill ya for hurting her."

"Doubt it," Lance replied.

"Kid, I hope you wise up while you've still got friends." Logan said. "When you get tired of being pig-headed, call. We'll come get you."

"Ain't gonna happen," Lance said.


	6. Willing or Not

"Idiots! Should-of-taken-us," Pietro exclaimed pacing around Rogue and Kitty's room. The two girls had claimed Kitty's bed as a seat while Rogue's groaned ominously under Freddy's weight and Todd crouched on the edge of Kitty's desk.  "Stupid! Can't-help-less-he-wants-it! Humph! We'd-make-him-want-help! Stupid Rockhead."

"And Jean's being such a teacher's pet," Kitty added, breaking into Pietro's rant. "Would it have hurt her to use Cerebro so we could find Lance? I mean I swore up and down that I just wanted to know and I wasn't going to go after him or anything."

"Yeah, she had deniability," Todd confirmed with disgust.

"So isn't there some other way we could find Lance?" Freddy asked.

"Huh-uh," Kitty sighed. "We need a telepath to run Cerebro and neither of them will."

"Rogue could do it," Pietro announced turning on the girl with a conspiratorial expression.

"Ah ain't a telepath," Rogue protested.

"But you could be," Pietro said.

"Please Rogue?" Kitty begged.

"Pretty please," Pietro added batting his eyes at her.

"Ah…"

Pietro dropped to his knees in front of her staring up at Rogue with wide, cerulean blue eyes. "For me?"

"Alright, cut it out ya idiot. Ah was gonna say yes," Rogue said, swatting at him playfully.

"Thanks, you-won't-regret-this," Pietro said jumping up to kiss her. "Let's-get-going-who-knows-what-trouble-he's-getting-into-without-us."

Rogue felt the evervesent rush of Pietro's powers along with his concern for Lance and his excitement at the prospect of doing something, not to mention his love of breaking rules no matter what the circumstances.

"Back-in-a-flash," Rogue said.

Less than a minute later Rogue returned.

"What took you so long?" Pietro asked.

"Ah decided to borrow the Professor's powers 'stead of Jean's," Rogue explained. "After all, he's the one who actually knows how to use the thing. Almost changed mah mind about doing this, but it was two to one for. Come on we better do this 'fore he wakes up, got a feeling he's going to be right mad."

Kitty nodded and started to lead the way downstairs. Rogue and Pietro zoomed past her.

Rogue lowered Cerebro's helmet over her head and found herself on a gray plain. After a moment it began to fill with people. They flew past her in a rush until she found herself standing in front of Lance. "So where are you?" She wondered at him.

"Home." The word was filled with a mad cacophony of emotions; bitter, wistful, grieving, lonely, longing, angry, disappointed, resigned.

Rogue pushed a little harder and a bright blazing trail filled her mind showing her the way to him. She took a deep breath and was back in the bowels of the mansion. "Anybody know how to fly the X-Jet?" she asked. "Ah don't want to take us up only to find no one knows how to land when this wears off."

"I think I can cover that."

"Scott!" Kitty exclaimed. "We were just…"

"Kitty, I'm in," Scott said cutting off her excuses.

"Why?" Kitty asked.

A secretive smile hovered around Scott's mouth. "How else am I going to get my car back?" he said flippantly.

"Whatever, let's go," Todd exclaimed. "Before someone else catches us."

As the X-Jet streaked through the night Rogue grabbed the co-pilot's chair. "So why'd ya come?" she asked quietly. "And don't tell me it's about your car."

"Hey, I was mad about the car," Scott said. Rogue rolled her eyes. "I could ask you the same, Lance isn't a close friend of yours either."

"Maybe not friends, but we look out for each other."

"Rogue?" Scott asked frowning.

"Ah mean, Pietro does," she corrected quickly.

"How much of his memories are you absorbing?"

"Look Scott, Ah can handle this," Rogue protested. "This is as close to a normal relationship as Ah'm gonna get, I ain't giving it up. Ah know what Ah'm missing now."

"What if you lose yourself? Is it worth it then?"

"Stuff it Cyclops, this is mah life!"

* * *

 

"This wasn't exactly what Ah was expecting," Rogue said looking over the neat, well maintained, split-level house.

"Are you sure it's the right place?" Todd asked.

"Ah saw the address clear as if someone wrote it on a billboard," Rogue said.

"One way to find out," Kitty announced walking up to the front door and knocking before she could lose her nerve.

A man Kitty estimated to be in his early thirties answered the door. "Hi um, I know this is going to sound sort of weird, but do you know Lance Alvers and have you seen him, like, tonight?" she asked.

"I'm sorry…" The man started to say then his wife joined him at the door. "There was a boy here a little less than an hour ago," she interrupted. "He didn't give a name. I think he was looking for the previous owners."

Kitty looked hopeful. "Dark brown hair, longish, really cute in an I'm-a-rebel way?"

The woman nodded, smiling faintly at Kitty's description.

"Do you know where he went?" Kitty asked.

"I'm sorry," the woman said.

Kitty sighed and headed back to the others. "Well he was here," she told them.

"We should split up and look before he gets too far ahead of us," Todd suggested.

Pietro nodded in agreement. "Rogue and I can check the roads out of town, the rest of you slowpokes start looking around here," he elaborated. Then he glanced around the little circle of allies making eye contact with each of them. "We don't go back without him," he said firmly.

Looking resolved the group broke apart.

* * *

 

Kitty shivered superstitiously seeing the gates of a cemetery looming up in her path. Feeling a little silly she crossed to the other side of the street and started walking a little faster.

A patch of bright red drew her eye down a side street. "Lance?" Kitty called recognizing Scott's car.

After a few minutes of looking around Kitty spotted a fragment of cloth that could have come from Lance's vest caught on the top of the cemetery fence.  Kitty glanced up and down the street then, nervously biting her lip, she phased through the fence into the cemetery.  Eventually Kitty spotted Lance standing at the foot of a grave. Kitty glanced at the headstone as she hurried to Lance's side. It read "Missy Alvers; 1975-1988".

"Lance, you okay?" Kitty asked uncertainly.

Lance shrugged.

"Who was she?" Kitty asked after several moments of silence.

"My big sister," Lance answered softly. "I used to think she was absolutely the coolest person alive… She died when I was six. I haven't been back here since the funeral. There was never a chance; first there were all the doctors' appointments. Eventually they were sure I had the same genetic defect as Missy and nothing could be done to fix it. Mom and Dad started fighting a lot and the next thing I know I'm being shipped off to some foster home while they 'come to terms', only they never did."

Kitty found herself suddenly wishing that Lance's voice would develop the angry bitterness she normally hated. Anything would be better than the dull resignation that currently filled it.

"I haven't thought about Missy since forever," Lance continued. "I guess not thinking about her at all was better than remembering… I saw her die, she just started screaming one day, then she burst into flames and eventually she stopped screaming. Things were never the same afterwards; it was like suddenly having a whole different life… The way things were, it doesn't even seem real anymore. It was so normal, bland, TV sitcom normal. Whatever, somewhere along the way I just stopped thinking about it."

"I guess I remembered though, I was headed here even before I realized why. I saw the name of the town and all of it just started coming back. My old address, my parents made me memorize it back when they didn't want to lose me. Games Missy used to make up for us to play. Things people said. You know, I never put it together until earlier today. When I was a kid 'genetic defect' was just something adults were always saying, it didn't mean anything. Missy died because of a genetic defect. I had the same one, so I was probably going to die too and Mom and Dad couldn't take it so they sent me away. I never thought 'What kind of genetic defect makes a person burst into flames?' Not even after I started causing earthquakes or when Mystique told me about mutants." Lance laughed tonelessly. "I guess Mom and Dad were right after all; I'm gonna die like Missy did, my mutation is going to kill me."

"You aren't going to die," Kitty insisted fiercely, hugging him tightly, burying her face against his chest to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. "Either it'll get fixed or you just won't use your powers anymore. It doesn't matter, but you're not dying, I won't let you!"

Lance felt guilty hearing hurt and tears in Kitty's voice, and suddenly his conviction that his friends would abandon him like his parents had seemed a lot less certain. "I'm sorry I took off," he said awkwardly returning her hug.

"Good," Kitty said. " 'Cause we were taking you home with us whether you wanted to come or not. We aren't going to let you just disappear got it?"

* * *

 

When the X-Jet landed safely back in it's hanger as the sun crested the horizon none of it's occupants were particularly surprised to see an irate group of instructors waiting for them or to see the rest of the students assembling, their expressions filled with the sort of curiosity that caused rubbernecking at accident sights.

"Where are Rogue and Pietro?" Xavier demanded as Fred, Todd, Lance and Kitty disembarked.

"Someone had to drive Summers' car back, yo," Todd said with a shrug and a leer. "I think they wanted alone time anyway."

"I'm gonna kill him when he gets back," Logan growled.

"Rogue's mutation still limits how much trouble they can get into," Beast murmured soothingly. "There is a limit to what anyone, even with Quicksilver's powers can do in a few seconds."

Several of the new mutants giggled, Xavier spared them a silencing glare.

"Kathryn," he said focusing his disapproval on Kitty. "The Brotherhood members are used to running wild, but I expected better from you. I expressly forbid you to go after Lance."

Kitty stared back at him, looking singularly unrepentant, her arm entwined possessively with Lance's as Scott joined the others on the plane's ramp. "Sometimes breaking the rules is the right thing to do," he said.

"Scott!" Jean exclaimed in disbelief.

Xavier's mouth tightened. "You all have class in just a few hours," he said. "We'll discuss this later. Lance, Dr. MacTaggart will need to give you a follow up exam. Scott, my office, immediately."

As the Institute's inhabitants scattered, Todd hesitated until the rest of the brotherhood was out of earshot then caught up to Scott with a few hops. "Yo, Summers, maybe you aren't all bad."

Scott turned and grinned. "Don't let it get around, I've got my reputation as a stick-in-the-mud to maintain."

* * *

 

Once both Scott and the Professor had settled into Xavier's office he said, "I assume you have an explanation."

Scott shrugged. "First they would have gone anyway, with me along the jet didn't get wrecked. Second, I see Lance in school almost everyday. He takes pride in not listening to authority figures; any attempt you approved to get him back here was doomed. I don't like him, but I'm not going to stand around and let him destroy himself when all it took to help was bending the rules a little. I knew Kitty and his friends stood a good chance of talking sense into him."

"All right Scott," Xavier said. "I can't deny that events have proven your reasoning sound."

* * *

 

Pietro glanced in the review mirror of Scott's convertible as he and Rogue sped down the freeway. "Police," he commented.

"What'd they want," Rogue said scowling.

Pietro leaned over to look at the speedometer. "You are doing 110."

"Mah reflexes are good enough," Rogue protested

"Thanks to me," Pietro said. "Look, wanna have some fun?"

Rogue looked over at him, noting the slightly insane grin on his face and set herself for an argument.

"Wouldn't want you running out of steam," he said giving her a quick kiss and Rogue forgot her protests as a matching smile transformed her face.

"Seatbelts buckled?" she asked as she slammed on the break and cranked the wheel. The little sports car spun to a stop so suddenly the police car shot past them. Before the officer even began to turn his car back both teens had taken off like a shot, making better time on foot than they had in the car.

An eternity later from their point of view, Pietro and Rogue huddled behind the police officer's front grill where they'd ducked out of sight after doubling back, hands pressed over their mouths, trying not to laugh as the befuddled officer stood there scratching his head and trying to come up with a rational explanation for the driverless car he'd been chasing. "I'm not calling this in," he said to himself. "If it's not real, I don't want to know."

After he drove off the pair of mutants reclaimed the car, snickering about their own cleverness.

Twenty minutes later Rogue frowned. "Ah can't believe Ah did that," she said.

 


	7. Protective Distance

Moira stopped her lecture and stepped back to look over her patient with a stern, evaluating glance. "I do'na talk to hear myself," she said. "This is your life we're discussing, if ye do'na care, I do'na want to waste my time."

Lance sighed.  He sat up straighter and gave the doctor his I-really-am-paying-attention look which he'd developed for getting through Mystiques tirades in one piece.

"Ye were lucky ye didna do any harm with yer stunt," Moira continued picking up the lecture where she'd left off. "But just because ye're up and around doesna mean yer healthy! I cut a hole in yer skull, lad. If that isna enough to convince ye to take it easy, yer body was doing its best to cope with the build up of pressure: yer blood pressure was nie off the charts trying to force enough oxygen through constricted blood vessel just to give ye one example and even though I put things to right, the change is still a shock to yer system.  Yer heart rate hasn't settled back to the baseline yet simply because it hasn't quite realized it doesna have to work so hard anymore. Until ye've had time to readjust the danger of damaging yerself with yer powers is increased more than 150%."

"Then why'd you do it?" Lance asked.

"Ye're friends seemed rather eager to have ye wake up," Moira said dryly. "It didna occur to me that ye might prefer vegetating for the rest of yer life."

"Oh," Lance said. "I… um… Yeah. I thought it would kill me outright when it happened."

Moira made an effort to catch Lance's eyes. "Ye can beat this," she said firmly. "Now isna the time to be giving up."

"Yeah…" Lance replied with a forced smile.

Moira sighed, "Yer done here, go and get some breakfast. Remember, no salt and no caffeine."

Xavier intercepted Lance at the kitchen door. "Avalanche, I feel we need to discuss certain…"

"Look, I just said that stuff so you'd get mad and get lost," Lance interrupted. "It's not a big deal."

"Nevertheless, I am concerned. At some level you obviously believe my recruitment of the X-Men was prejudicial. I don't believe you'll feel at home here unless I explain myself. I don't believe in forcing people down a path they aren't ready to take. I believe that leading by example is most effective. I thought that once you'd seen the difference between Magneto and my X-Men you'd…"

"Alright already, I've got a bad attitude," Lance sighed. "You want mutants to chose to come to you, to believe in what you're doing. Mystique has no problem grabbing people who don't have any choices. She didn't have any problem dumping us either. So we take care of ourselves, we're getting better at it all the time. Maybe someday it'll be a choice not just what we're stuck with. Look do we have to talk about this junk? I'm not supposed to lose my temper."

"Alright Lance," Xavier said. "I'm sorry you feel like that and I apologize for how you were treated when you came here before. I think you'll see that we do learn from our mistakes, but I'll let our actions speak for themselves rather than attempting to debate the matter with you."

* * *

 

Lance sat on the Institute's front steps watching the assorted X-Men, Brotherhood members and New Mutants trudging back from school that afternoon.

"Everything good yo?" Todd asked as he and Fred joined Lance.

The dark haired teen shrugged carelessly. "I get out of school for a couple of months."

"Kelly won't let Xavier make excuses for us," Freddy said.

Lance made a face, "He called the state today, told 'em Mystique ditched us and got us transferred here formally. I still think you could probably go home if you wanted. They wouldn't stop you, it's against Xavier's principals or something."

"Naw, they'd have too good a shot at corrupting you if we left you here by yourself," Todd said.

"Oh while I'm thinking about it," Lance said digging the keys to his jeep out of his pocket. He tossed them to Fred. "The jeep's at the diner, someone might as well be driving it."

Fred stared at the keys, a frown on his face. "Lance you don't let anybody drive your jeep… except Tabby, but since she doesn't ask that's not so much letting…"

Lance scowled. "I'm not going to school or anywhere, you guys hate the bus, Freddy you have a license, just take the damn keys!"

"Sure Lance, if that's what you want," Fred said, sounded confused and uncertain.

* * *

 

Scott grimaced watching the red convertible fishtail as the driver took the corner into the Mansion's drive at a speed several times faster than recommended. He imagined the driver had lost control as the car went into a spin ending up off the drive and behind a row of hedges.

Several minutes later three police cars roared past the Institute, lights flashing and sirens blaring.

Rogue swung her legs over the side of the car, for a moment she perched on the door, head thrown back, laughing at their narrow escape. Pietro dashed around the car. Grabbing her by the waist he spun the laughing girl around in an impromptu waltz before letting her slip to the ground so they could share a kiss.

"Logan," Professor Xavier said watching the scene from his office. "I picked up a mutant signature in Louisiana."

"I'll check it out," the other man promised.

"Please take Rogue with you," Xavier instructed. "I can barely recognize her mind, I'd like an evaluation of her behavior away from Pietro."

* * *

 

Lance sighed as he left the med lab and found the rest of the Brotherhood waiting in the hall outside. "I'm fine," he said. "Healing just like expected and it's still going to be months before I'm any good to anybody. You guys don't have to stay here."

"Yo, first he runs off the first moment he can walk…" Todd started.

"Then he tries to send us away…" Pietro continued.

"A guy might think you're trying to get rid of us," Freddy finished.

"Come on guys," Lance said. "It's not fair for Xavier to use my being sick to enforce all these rules on you."

"The food's good," Fred said with a shrug.

"Putting up with their training garbage…"

"Haven't-you-heard-what-I-did-to-Daniels?" Pietro laughed. "Then I got to listen to Summers ream him for it… Plus Rogue, I'm-sure-you-understand-that… Except Kitty was complaining about you avoiding her."

"Todd?" Lance asked.

"Not going anywhere," Todd replied. "We stick together."

Lance's gaze skitted away from his friends' eyes. "Look, it's not like I'll be gone forever," he said. "After a few weeks I won't have to do these check ups. Then it's just going to be waiting, for months, practically forever. I'll move back in with you guys, everything'll be back to normal."

" 'Cept you have to not use your powers." Fred pointed out.

Lance grimaced. "It doesn't mean we have to stay here."

"No," Pietro said. "You-use-your-powers-without-thinking-when-you-lose-your-temper. You-lose-your-temper-more-when-you're-stressing. You-get-stressed-over-billswaterfoodpower, basically-everything-you-took-care-of-after-Mystique-ditched-us."

"Then you guys deal with that crap!"

"Lance give it up already, you're staying, we're staying," Todd sighed.

* * *

 

Four minutes after the X-Van left the mansion Rogue was out of her seat, flitting from window to window. "So what are we doing? Why am Ah going? Why didn't we take anyone else? How long's the drive? How long will we be gone?"

"First sit down and get your seatbelt back on," Wolverine growled. "You don't have a healing factor, plus the police are out in force, probably looking for you and your boyfriend. Who do you two think you are; Bonny and Clyde?"

"We took the plates off the car before they really started chasing us," Rogue replied unconcerned. "So how long is this going to take?"

"Sit!" Wolverine ordered.

Grumbling Rogue climbed back into the front seat, belted herself in and started fidgeting.

"Charles found a new mutant signature, says he doesn't know how he overlooked it for this long. Our boy's home base is Louisiana, a little town just east of New Orleans, but he's been active throughout the Gulf States. Where things get interesting is Charles correlated his movements to a string of robberies, and we ain't talking chump change here, this guy's a pro."

"So are we supposed to arrest him or recruit him?" Rogue asked as she fussed with the air-vents on her side of the van.

"Depends on what we find," Wolverine said. "The Prof said find out what he can do, if he's been trained with his powers and who he's working for. After that we're to act on our own discretion."

* * *

 

Lance glared across the kitchen at Moira MacTaggart. "Coffee isna good for ye," she said serenely.

A poof of sulfur smoke filled the center of the room as Nightcrawler and Toad appeared, hands raised in a high five. Lance blinked at them wondering if caffeine withdrawal was making him see things.

"We rule!" Toad declared.

"Top scoring team in the Danger room," Nightcrawler announced.

"And first to breakfast!" Toad added.

A little bit later Kitty wandered in, Cyclops trailing after her. "Next time if you…" he was saying. Kitty phased her hand through the cupboard door and pulled out a coffee mug.

Next Fred and Jean arrived. "Don't worry, you'll do better next time," Jean said. Fred rolled his eyes and made a face at the redhead's back then he traded a sympathetic look with Kitty who was still being lectured at by her partner for the morning's exercise.

The sound of bickering proceeded Evan and Pietro's arrival. Mr. McCoy marched the pair into the kitchen holding them apart by the scruffs of their necks. With a long-suffering sigh he plopped them down in a pair of chairs then stood over them hands on his hips glaring down at them. "The entire raison d'etre of the exercise was teamwork," he said. "I wonder if it would prove more effective to assign you two a paper on the concept or simply handcuff you together until you figure it out for yourselves! Or until you kill one another, which at least would take you off my hands."

Arms crossed over their chests the two boys pointedly turned their backs on each other.

"Hey Lance," Kitty greeted him claiming a chair

* * *

beside the dark haired teen. "Jean, pass the fruit," she called.

With a wave of her hand the telekinetic sent the bowl of fruit floating across the room. Todd used his tongue to snag an apple as it passed by.

"Gross!" Kitty exclaimed.

"Hey, if you don't like it, more for me," Todd replied.

"I can manage," Kitty said phasing her hand through the bottom of the bowl to avoid the fruit that could possibility been contaminated by Todd's tongue.

"You drink out of the milk carton," Kurt said, defending his partner for the morning.

"I do not!" Kitty protested.

"Shadowkat, we still need to review…"

"Later Scott," Kitty interrupted.

Todd hopped up on the counter. "Yo Lance, you should have seen it, me and the 'crawler blew all these losers away!"

"We'll see who's bragging tomorrow," Fred said good-naturedly.

Pietro and Evan exchanged a glare in preparation for their two hundredth bout of 'who screwed up' when the new mutants thundered through the room.

Lance watched them casually employing their powers to secure their share of breakfast for a few moments then stood up and left.

"Lance?" Kitty called following him.

"It's too loud in there," he said. "I was getting a headache. 'Sides I'm still sort of tired."

"Okay… well… um… I'll see you after school, I guess," Kitty said.

"Sure," Lance replied walking away from her.

* * *

 

A shadow passed over the dark clad young man as he studied his latest target through binoculars. "I tol' yo', don' bother me while 'M workin'," he said without glancing up.

"I would see one of your talents put to better use than this petty larceny," the silver haired man declared.

"Dis bit of 'petty larceny' goin' to make me several grand," the younger man commented setting aside the binoculars. "Yo' know what dey say 'bout birds in bushes. Mais, yo' got a couple hours I'll be at de café on 5th and Cyprus 'round 'bout dinner."

"Five o' clock, don't be late. You are already trying my patience Cajun."

"Don' take it personal," the thief replied, red-on-black eyes gleaming with amusement. " 'Ccording to m' Tante, I was put on dis Earth to be a trial to older folk."

"Five o' clock," Magneto repeated with a stern glare then flew off.

* * *

 

"I'm here, what's going on?" Jean asked joining the other X-Men, Pietro, Todd and Fred at a table outside of the school for lunch.

"I'm worried about Lance," Kitty said. "He's acting weird. He avoids everyone, even me and the guys." She gestured to the Brotherhood boys.

"He sort of gave me the jeep," Fred said adding his worries to Kitty's list.

"He-always-says-he's-tired," Pietro chimed in. "I-asked-Dr.-MacTaggart-she-says-Lance-should-be-fine. No-symptoms-as-long-as-he-doesn't-use-powers."

"Maybe he's depressed," Todd suggested. "Being sick, being cooped up at the Mansion all the time."

"Nobody in their right mind is going to let him come back to school," Scott said. "He'll never mange to stay calm around Matthews and Kelly. We all know to be careful of him, but we can't explain what's wrong to them."

"Are we careful?" Jean commented. "Everyone's always totally casual about using our powers at home and Lance can't."

"Wow-that-actually-makes-sense." Pietro said. "Are you reading someone's mind or did you just get lucky?"

"Are you genetically incapable of being polite?" Jean shot back.

"But what are we supposed to do about Lance?" Fred exclaimed trying to steer the conversation back on course.

A heavy silence fell over the table.

* * *

 

"Why does this have to take so long?" Rogue exclaimed.

"Darlin' they just now sat us down," Logan said frowning. "We've been on the road for a couple of days.  You still channeling the speed demon?"

"No," Rogue sighed. "Pietro's powers wore off the first night. Everything takes too long! Yah got any idea how long it took me to do mah hair this morning?"

"The boy's powers might be gone, but you're talking like ya still got a good dose of his personality."

"Maybe Ah like living in double time," Rogue argued.

"Ya act like a chain smoker on a no smoking flight," Logan criticized. "Do you like needing his powers to feel happy? Depending on him?"

"Ain't that how a relationship's supposed to be?" Rogue shot back. "Having someone ya can count on?"

"Rogue, that ain't what's happening between the two of you and ya know it."

* * *

 

"Yo' said yo' had business," the young thief said stepping out of the shadows and taking a seat.

"Yes, I am Magneto, a mutant like yourself."

"Quoi? I be a demon."

"Humans call you 'Le Diable Blanc' this is true, they exile you for the color of your eyes…"

The thief held up a restraining hand. "Dese have nothin' to do wit' m' exile," he said gesturing to his eyes. "An' dis sounds like evangelizing not a job."

"Very well, the truth remains, you are Homo Sapiens Superior, an inheritor of this planet and no boogeyman from a child's fairy tale. What I have to offer you is survival. Unlike your brethren who can hide themselves among the unevolved masses you must confront their hatred and fear every time you meet their eyes. You know the day will come when that fear will drive them to try and destroy you. I bring you a warning: The day will come sooner than you think. And I offer the opportunity to band with others of your own kind to take pre-emptive action."

"Merci for de warning." Demonic eyes sparkled with private amusement. "Mais I ain't de joinin' kind, if dat be all…"

"No," Magneto said frowning distastefully. "Your skills are needed. I will pay you to break into Trask Industries and find me the schedule for their Sentinel project."

"Call me Gambit," the thief said settling back into his seat. "Mebbe we got somet'ing to discuss after all."

* * *

 

Kitty found Lance playing his guitar in a small room opposite Storm's loft. "Geeze what are you doing all the way up here," she said. "A person would think you were hiding."

"I am," Lance replied. "If anyone could entertain themselves, it should be Jamie, but he's ecstatic about having another person home schooling around here. As for keeping him distracted when there's something he wants to do, forget it. I think I feel sorry for Mr. McCoy."

Kitty laughed at that. "We all do. The New Mutants just aren't scared of him the way we were scared of Mr. Logan, so more things tend to go wrong with his training sessions. Anyway, I was wondering, do you want to go out walking? I know a really great spot for sunsets."

"I um… I probably shouldn't," Lance stammered. "You know, still sick."

"I talked to Dr. MacTaggart, she said it would be okay," Kitty argued, mentally crossing her fingers and hoping Pietro was right about Lance's inability to say no to her.

"Well… um… I guess," Lance agreed.

"Great," Kitty said looping her arm through his.

* * *

 

"What have those monsters done to my house?" Mystique snarled. "Avalanche! Quicksilver! Blob! Toad! Get down here!"

Mystique stood in the dingy, dilapidated lobby, hands planted on her hips waiting. The buzzing of flies and the banging of a lose shudder answered her summons.

A tall girl with dark, cropped hair walked in behind Mystique. "This place is a dump," she announced. "And you said my brother was here."

"They're somewhere around here," Mystique reassured the girl. "And they'll help us fight your father."

* * *

 

"Come on Lance, we're all playing without powers," Scott argued. "You should join in."

"Stuff it Summers," Lance snapped.

"Look the invitations open as long as the game lasts. We're going to have fun, you can sit up here and sulk if you like," Scott said challengingly.

"Don't worry about me," Lance said smirking. "By the way, it looks like they need their referee to define no powers again, so you better run along before it turns into a brawl."

Scott turned to the baseball field below with a groan.

"Toad using your tongue to catch the ball is definitely using your powers," Jean declared frowning sternly.

"It 'urts too," Todd commented, more worried about potential injuries than irritated redheads.

"I can't be sure if Roberto or Pietro used their powers just a little, but that was blatant cheating!"

"Like when Bobby iced the path between the bases?" Rahne asked, fixing the offending blond with a glare of her own.

"Or when Jubilee was lighting off firecrackers to scare the batter?" Bobby demanded. "I was just evening the score!"

"How about Kitty phasing through Fred?" Ray demanded.

"He was in the way!" Kitty defended herself. "Once a runner's out they can't run interference for their teammates!"

Lance grinned ironically as Summers stepped into the melee and tried to reassert order only to end up with all the combatants abruptly turning on the tall, serious senior.

"You got left out too?" Jamie asked plopping down beside Lance.

"Nah, I turned 'em down," Lance replied. "The whole no-powers thing was to get me involved, I don't like being patronized."

"Mr. McCoy tries no-powers sports all the time," Jamie pointed out. "It's supposed to teach us self-control… and keep him from getting injured. It generally ends like this but they still won't let me play 'cause I can't help but multiply every time I get bumped."

"I wasn't in the mood anyway," Lance said.

"Why not?" Jamie asked curiously.

"I just wasn't okay," Lance snapped.

"I wish they'd try to include me, I'm always too young or I can't 'cause my powers make too much chaos," Jamie complained.

"This is different, it's better if I stay away," Lance said.

"That's dumb," Jamie informed the older boy. "Kitty and Todd and Pietro and Fred all worry 'cause you're avoiding them."

"Look kid, I'm doing the right thing," Lance growled. "I don't want to hurt them, it's better if they just get used to me not being around!"

"Are you going to run away again?" Jamie asked.

"No, I'm going to die," Lance stated.

"The doctor says you'll be okay," Jamie replied, confused.

"What does she know anyway?" Lance yelled. "She's never seen this before, I have. I know what's going to happen. Everybody told me what would happen! That's why my parents left! I'm going to die! That's just the way it is!"

Lance bit off his tirade abruptly realizing that practically the entire population of the Mansion was staring at him in shock. Angrily he stomped off.

A second later Pietro was walking beside him. "Leave me the hell alone, Maximoff," Lance snarled.

"Lance…" Pietro began.

The dark haired boy turned on him furiously and Pietro backed off, knowing how close his friend was to expressing his temper through a quake. Then, without warning Lance fainted.

"It's okay," Jean explained. "The Professor sensed how agitated Lance was getting and knocked him out before he could hurt himself."

Pietro's look was a confused mix of outrage and relief; the others were still dealing with their shock at Lance's outburst.

"We better get him back to the infirmary," Scott said. "Someone want to give me a hand?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Although I'm including Remy, I still like the Rogue/Pietro pairing. Remy might flirt but Rogue's already got a boyfriend in this story.


	8. Villainy's Return

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the third season of "X-Men: Evolution" and the existence of mutants becoming common knowledge, because "A world that hates and fears them" is just so much a part of the X-Men, so while this story is AU I'm trying to fit the end of second season in... Just because the Brotherhood has been adapting to different circumstances doesn't mean Mystique or Magneto's plans have changed.

It was a solemn gathering of the Institute's staff.

"Charles, I hesitate to suggest it, I'm not the psychiatrist here, but have you considered putting the boy on an anti-depressant?" Ororo asked.

"It would serve little purpose," Xavier sighed. "The source of Lance's emotions are not a chemical imbalance, rather they come from his outlook on life. Within his frame of reference his feelings are rational and justified. We can tell him a thousand times that he will be all right if he simply trusts us and it will never reach him. The image he holds in his mind of his older sister burning to death because of a flaw in her mutation cannot be overcome with mere words and trust is a very scarce commodity with our Mr. Alvers."

The speakerphone crackled to life as Logan added his insights. "You're the one who's big on choices, Chuck. Don't expect him to trust you when you don't trust him to make the right one. Give him all the facts then back off. The kid's rebellious, not stupid. And don't try to sugar coat things he won't buy it.

"That may be, but your approach doesn't take into account his perception that his worth is wholly dependent on his mutant powers," Xavier replied.

"Damn, you're not telling me he's still hung-up on that crap," Logan swore. "I thought his friends going after him should've gotten him over that."

"His primary tie with his friends and Kitty is that they are all mutants. To make matters worse, since he was placed in the foster care system, Mystique has been the only adult to make him feel valued and she truly does see his power as his only source of worth," Xavier said. "Having the four of them here is proving how wrong I was to allow her extended access to them."

"Lance is distinctly more intelligent than his grades would indicate," Hank said. "Given his current need to be home schooled, I'm certain that fact can be demonstrated to him, perhaps giving him something about himself to value beyond his mutant abilities. I would also suggest encouraging him to study martial arts as Rogue does, like her he needs an alternative to seeing his powers as his first and only line of defense."

"We can worry about his self-esteem later," Moira said. "Right now the truly urgent issue is ensuring that he allows himself time to heal, without that, all yer other concerns about the lad are moot. Right now the only important thing is that he not attempt to use his powers for the next few months.  All else has to be secondary to simply keeping him alive."

* * *

 

Gambit hooked a small device to the server at Trask Industries and left it to do it's work of searching the company's network for certain key words and copying the attendant files. Once he'd verified that it was up and running Gambit turned his attention to the paper files. He was taking a chance; Magneto had been certain this project was Bolivar Trask's baby, so instead of doing his research he was betting on the man having the files in his own office.

"Voila!" Gambit murmured to himself as he popped the lock on Trask's file cabinet and found a neatly labeled rack of files on the Sentinel project. "Gotta love analytical types, dey're a'ways so organized, anybody could find stuff wit' dis system."  As Gambit thumbed through the files his pleased smirk faded. He read through the Sentinel project mandate twice before he really believed what he was seeing; suddenly Magneto's dire warnings seemed much less far-fetched.

A security guard in riot gear and carrying a machine gun burst into the office. Stuffing the files in his coat Gambit somersaulted over the guard's first round of fire. He landed beside the man and instantly launched a disarming kick.  Gambit caught the machine gun as gravity took over from his kick then darted out the door and threw the now glowing weapon at the man's backups assembling in the hall.

A whooping alarm filled the building, letting the guards know that they wouldn't be catching their prey unaware.

With a combination of explosions and martial arts the young thief cut a path back to the corporation's server and retrieved his equipment along with any files it had stolen.  Having accomplished that, Gambit beat feet. Once he reached an outer wall he drove back his pursuers with several quick explosions then used the breathing room to plant his hands firmly against the wall. Using his biokinetic charge he created a new exit for his convenience.

"Mutant: designate unknown located. Terminate," a booming, artificial voice announced.

Gambit canted his head back looking up and further up at the giant robot towering over him. "Mon Dieu… Mon bon Dieu…" he breathed in disbelief.

As the thing reached for him Gambit felt his body being snatched away by an intangible force. A moment later he found himself floating beside Magneto as Trask Industries and the Sentinel disappeared in the distance.

Gambit frowned at his rescuer. "Yo' knew dey'd catch me!" he accused.

"Yes, I knew they had the ability to detect mutant DNA, it was only common sense that they'd employ the technology in their security systems.  After all, any mutant is a risk to their operation. What I needed from you was a mutant with the skills to break in and retrieve critical data before they could respond and to escape alive. I am pleased to see I made an accurate assessment of your talents."

Gambit fought back a grin at the implied compliment. "Seems yo' knew more dan a bit dat yo' didn' share wit' me," he said.

"Of course."

"Why?"

"You made it exceptionally clear that your only interest was in acting as a thief for hire and so I hired you to steal information I already possessed. By being discovered in the act you forced their hand. They must act now, before they are ready. They will fear we shall gather an army to move against them, but in truth it will be their pre-emptive strike which will provide the rallying cry for our kind."

After a time of silence Gambit said. "Dey really mean to kill us, neh? Always t'ought de ones worth botherin' 'bout saw more dan m' eyes an' de res' be too scared to worry 'bout. Plus dere be more dan one femme wantin' to be tempted by a handsome devil non?"

Magneto rolled his eyes at the self-pleased tone in the younger man's voice, but waited patiently for him to make his point.

"T'ink I rather be a demon, me. Yo' can fight a demon, shor. Mais dey a'ways been, a'ways will be. Deir 'xistance jus' accepted oui? Mutants, dis be somet'ing new, somet'ing dat mebbe can be gotten rid of. Dey're planning a genocide."

"Yes, they are, but they will not find us to be easy victims," Magneto lowered them back to the ground, many miles from the site of the break-in.

Gambit started hiking toward the lights of a city then he paused and turned back. "Got some t'ings to take care of. Give me a few days den yo' got yourself a t'ief."

* * *

 

Lance woke to find Dr. MacTaggart sitting beside his bed waiting for him to regain consciousness and looking angry. "I didna uproot myself just to watch ye kill yerself with some hair-brained temper-tantrum," the doctor informed him.

"Look I'm sorry about that, but face facts," Lance said. "When mutations go wrong there's no fixing it, not with Missy, not with Rogue, not with Summers and not with me."

"Both Scott and Rogue are coping quite successfully with their mutations and I expect I'll be able to complete correct your situation," Moira informed him tartly. "Unlike them, your problem is not control, except of your temper.  There are physical symptoms, much like those of a condition that we already have methods of dealing with, all we have to do is determine how your mutation may interact with a potential treatment."

"I doubt it'll work," Lance said.

"Let me make the situation clear for you," Moira said. "Yer fate is in yer hands. Quit using yer powers and I damn well guarantee ye will not die of this ailment. But I can very well see that option doesna sit well with ye. Ye still have choices! Ye can still let me try to help ye and I believe I stand a fair chance of doing some good. Ye do'na share my optimism, ye've been let down or screwed over by life so many times yer scared to set yerself up for more disappointment, I can understand the sentiment. So lets talk worst-case scenario: What I've already done is all that can be done for ye. After ye heal ye go back to using yer powers and in another three years or so depending on how much you use them the headaches become intolerable again and I operate on you again, this cycle repeats until you eventually die. It won't happen tomorrow! I don't have much data to base an estimate on, but if ye want my best guess, there will be a gradual accumulation of minor brain damage, chances are it'll have a notable affect by the time yer thirty, but that's still better than a decade of opportunities for a better solution to be found or for ye to change yer mind about life without yer powers."

Moira paused to make sure she had Lance's full attention. "Or ye can go on pulling stunts like ye almost did today before ye've healed. It's your choice, but I want ye to be 100% clear on what yer choosing. I'd rather watch ye playing Russian roulette, yer odds would be better. So just think about putting a gun to yer temple every single time you want to use yer powers for the next four months." Without waiting for Lance to reply Dr. MacTaggart got up and walked away, leaving him to make his choices.

Several hours later Moira returned to the med-lab to insist the Lance joint the rest of the Institute for dinner. The instant he walked through the door Lance was convinced he should have fought harder to be allowed to take his meal down stairs.

A dead silence fell over the room at his appearance.

"Lance!" Kitty called smiling brightly as if her eyes weren't red. Throughout dinner Kitty and Pietro kept up a steady stream of too cheerful, meaningless chatter in voices as brittle as spun sugar.

Not one person used their powers through the whole of dinner.

The pressure of them all determinedly not staring at him was a palpable one to Lance.  It made the air thick enough to choke on. The exceptions, the ones who would actually look at him were almost a relief.  Cyclops was taking advantage of the shades that hid his eyes but Lance could feel the other teen's evaluating gaze. Lance was aware that Scott had a need to fix things, people. He just couldn't seem to leave it alone. It was like sticking a compulsive neat freak in a disordered room, or like issuing Pietro a dare. It was annoying Lance decided. It wasn't like Cyclops really gave a damn about him or the rest of the Brotherhood, just compulsive do-gooding according to Summers' perception of good. He didn't want Scott trying to help, it was bad enough watching him quietly integrating the Brotherhood into the X-Men.

'Or maybe watching Cyclops bring the Brotherhood into the X-Men is so annoying because it's was working and the guys seemed happier for it,' Lance admitted to himself. 'Sure Pietro and Daniels still get along as well as a pair of alley cats with their tails tied together, but the latest prank to have half the mansion in an uproar had been a collaborative effort between Bobby Drake and Pietro. And next to Ray and Roberto's oil and water impersonation Kurt and Todd look liked close friends these days. As for Freddy, living in mutant central it was no surprise that he's in his easy-going mode. People here are as likely to single him out for his size as they are to harass Kurt about his tail. In fact Freddy seemed to have struck up a fast friendship with the gawky, awkward Cannonball based on them both having grown up in rural areas. The only one who doesn't fit in is me,' Lance thought, 'I still don't want Scott sticking his nose in.  Besides, he'll fail anyway, what use could the X-Men have for a mutant who's powers don't work?'

Lance could also feel Todd watching him.  The younger mutant kept his head ducked and staring at his long-time friend from behind a blind of ragged bangs.  After dinner broke Todd followed Lance, he kept a discrete and cautious distance and he walked, he didn't hop.

"Why are you doing that?" Lance demanded after a several minutes

"Hey you were the one acting freaky," Todd said defensively.

"Baldy's monitoring the inside of my head, you don't have to follow me around," Lance said pointedly. "And why are you walking like that?"

"He don't know the first thing about how stupid you can be," Todd said. "You act like your powers are fucking everything. I don't give a damn about your stupid powers! And no one wants to make you uncomfortable so we ain't using ours, okay?"

"It makes your knees ache to force yourself to walk instead of hop. You know it, I know it. Why the hell do you think it would make me feel better to watch you hurt yourself?" Lance snapped.

"Try reversing you and me and it don't feel any better," Todd shot back sinking into his normal crouch. "You think today was fun for any of us?"

Lance watched as the younger boy sprung back toward the house his movements jerky with anger. "Why won't they just back off?" he said to himself, he sounded more confused than anything else.

* * *

 

Mystique assumed the guise of a teenager and joined the stream of students to enter Bayville High for the first time in a month.  She hadn't liked leaving Rogue but tracking down Magneto's insane daughter was too critical to her plans, even Rogue had to come in second to that.

It took Mystique longer than she expected to locate the Brotherhood, they were actually attending their classes.  Or at least most of the Brotherhood, Mystique frowned at Avalanche's absence but wrote it off as inconsequential.  "He's probably trailing after Shadowkat like a love-sick fool, just like he was doing when I left.  The other boys can easily pass on my orders when they see him."  It wasn't until the lunch period that Mystique was able to catch the three far enough from their human classmates to reveal herself.  She stalked up to them as they loitered outside of the cafeteria, for a moment she allowed her eyes to revert to their natural gold coloration. "Hello boys," she purred, her voice bringing to mind images of a cat gloating over a helpless mouse.

"Mystique!" Fred exclaimed.

"Got it in one. Maybe you are smarter than you look," Mystique retorted. "Now run along and collect Avalanche then get back to the boarding house…"

" 'Cause-you've-got-some-plan-you-need-us-for?" Pietro broke in, his tone haughty.

"Is there any other reason I'd stoop to dealing with you morons?" Mystique snapped.

"No," Todd said turning and walking away. "Come on guys, I wouldn't want to be late for class."

"You're defying me!" Mystique exclaimed in disbelief as she grabbed the slight fifteen-year-old by the shoulder and jerked him around to face her.

Todd shook her off disgustedly. "Looks that way," he said as Fred and Pietro joined him.

"How dare you!" Mystique exclaimed.

"Look lady, you might need us, but we don't need you," Fred said frowning down at her and Mystique suddenly felt like she'd been punched in the stomach.

"Yeah-the-last-term-proved-that," Pietro added. "What-have-you-ever-done-for-us-anyway?"

Mystique watched them walk off slack-jawed with shock at what had just happened.

* * *

 

"Well looks like we know who our mystery thief works for," Rogue said as she recognized Magneto when he met the demon-eyed mutant they'd been observing for the last few days.

"The kid's targets have been strictly for profit, not politics, that ain't Mags calling the shots," Logan said. "He's probably here recruiting."

"So what do we do?" Rogue asked. "Go down and say hey?"

Logan shrugged, "It'd be a shame if the kid made a choice without hearin' what kind of scumbag he was hooking up with."

Rogue nodded even as a completely unexpected flutter of anxiety and anticipation unsettled her stomach.

Casually the pair strolled across the street. With a feral smile at Magneto, Logan spun a chair around and took a seat, as comfortable as if he were joining an old friend for a cup of coffee rather than getting ready to throw a wrench into the plans of a deadly enemy.

" 'llow me chere," the fire-eyed man said, gallantly pulling out a chair for Rogue and seating her with a flourish. "S' yo're some of de demons- I mean mutants, 'M teamin' wit', dis deal's lookin' bettah all de time." He grinned flirtatiously at Rogue.

"Ah got a boyfriend," Rogue told him annoyed by the Cajun mutant's obvious confidence in his own sex appeal. "And we're the alternative, mutants coming together to help each other, 'stead of trying to take over the world… Has he mentioned dumping his last team?"

"They believe we can live in harmony with humans," Magneto said. "You have seen the proof of the futility of their course."

"Something big coming?" Logan asked Magneto.

"Give up Xavier's foolish ideals, it's too late for such things, if indeed they ever had a chance of becoming reality."

"You better start talking bub!" Wolverine snarled.

"Oh no," Rogue murmured pushing back her chair.

"You presume to threaten me!" Magneto thundered glaring at Wolverine, the metal lawn furniture started vibrating in response to the first summons of his powers.  

Rogue saw her chance, while Magneto was still focused on Wolverine she stripped off a glove and reached for the silver-haired man, only to hesitate, mentally shying from the very idea of opposing him.  The pause lasted only a moment as Rogue reminded herself that she felt no loyalty to this madman but it was a moment too long. As she reached for him again a hand locked around her arm. "I don' know what yo're touch will do chere. Mais I doubt yo' mean well," the Cajun said.

Wolverine popped his claws and was promptly restrained by his chair.

"Let me go!" Rogue snapped struggling against Gambit's hold.

"Normally I like nothin' bettah dan givin' a belle femme her way wit' me," Gambit said grinning down at Rogue as she tried to break his grip. "Still I gave de man m' word." He shoved her into a chair and Magneto's powers bound her like he'd done to Logan

"You will learn the folly of your delusions soon enough!" Magneto said turning to leave. Gambit gave Rogue a wave and a grin then strolled after him.

"Well that went stunningly," Rogue muttered watching them walk off.

* * *

 

Scott poked his head into the room the Brotherhood was occupying, "We're all going to the mall. Do you guys want to come along? Everyone's planning on hitting the movies after the girls get done shopping."

"Sure, we're in," Todd replied answering for the group. "They have a new video game I haven't beaten yet."

"Evan said the same thing," Scott replied. "We better get moving, Amanda's expecting us to pick her up in fifteen minutes."

Pietro beat the video game on his first quarter then quickly grew bored of taunting Evan and Todd with their lack of success. He left them quarreling over whose turn it was next while Freddy watched and went to find other victims.  He found Lance, Scott and Kurt sitting outside a clothing store, the later two looked completely bored and a little disgruntled. Lance looked dazed but happy.

"You guys are such losers," Pietro informed them.

"Vait till Rogue gets back," Kurt said.

"Unlike you, I can keep a girl happy and still entertain myself," Pietro informed him.

"Kitty wants my opinion on swimsuits," Lance commented.

"Okay, you win," Pietro said. "But Summers, you don't even have a girlfriend. Jean's with Dunce Matthews."

Scott looked annoyed. "Jean isn't really that happy with him."

"So that's how she's stringing you along," Pietro said grinning.

Kitty emerged from the shop the guys had been waiting in front of. "I'm all done there," she declared and collected Lance.  As they walked off, Lance slipped an arm around her shoulders, Kitty grinned up at him.

Pietro smirked at their backs, "I told you guys Kitty could get Lance back to normal," he said once the pair was out of earshot.

Kurt frowned. "I found Kitty crying last night," he said. "She's vorried too but she's scared of letting Lance find out. It's hard on her, always trying to act optimistic."

"One month down, three to go before Lance is safe from himself," Scott said. "I don't blame her for worrying, I doubt Lance has ever stayed out of trouble for four whole months in his life."

"Bad-things-happen, we-deal, that's-just-how-it-works," Pietro declared. "It sucks that Lance can't use his powers, but we don't act like spoiled brats because life isn't fair, he'll make do."

Scott shook his head. "I trust the Professor and Dr. MacTaggart to figure something out for Lance, I don't trust him to behave himself long enough to give them a chance."

"Because-you're-an-idiot," Pietro said. "I'm-bored-bye."

"Not in the mall!" Scott yelled futilely watching Pietro disappear in a blur of speed.

* * *

 

"How about trying this one?" Lance suggested pointing toward a swimsuit Kitty had passed up at a glance.

She blushed. "Lance, that one hardly covers anything!"

"Yeah," Lance said dreamily.

"Well, if you really think I should wear it at that party Taryn's throwing with everyone around…"

Kitty giggled as the fantasizing expression disappeared from Lance's face to be instantly replaced by one of jealousy and over-protectiveness. "Maybe this one," Lance decided gesturing to a decidedly more demure suit and for the moment it felt like he was back to his old self.

"How about I try on the ones I picked?" Kitty replied slipping back into the changing rooms.  She smiled a little as she changed thinking about how she could bring the pre-illness Lance to the surface if she worked at it. She could still find traces of the person who would pull off some insane attempt to impress her that generally ended in a huge disaster, who would moments later put himself between her and real danger without ever realizing how impressive that truly was. She missed his cool, care-for-not façade and the way it would crack leaving him awkward and sweet when they were alone together. She was even starting to miss his temper, because since he'd woken up from the coma there'd been too many days when she found herself believing that he didn't care about anything anymore.  The only explosion of temper they'd seen from Lance hadn't been normal, just scary.

After Dr. MacTaggart had talked to him, Lance had started making an effort to act… well not like himself, but like he thought they wanted him to act. And yet Kitty was sure he was still doing his best to distance himself from everything, he was just being less obvious about it: eating meals with the group but hardly talking to anyone, accepting their efforts to include him in activities then fading into the woodwork the first chance he got. He hadn't said anything else about dying, but Fred couldn't get him to take the jeep back either. And yet there were moments, moments where Lance seemed to forget and let himself get swept up by life. Only it was hard, constantly looking for opportunities to create those moments when Lance seemed determined to fight against them.

* * *

 

Outside the dressing rooms Lance watched as a strange woman stalked across the store toward him. A moment before the flash of gold in her eyes confirmed her identity he recognized Mystique from her angry, arrogant and disdainful expression.

He glanced toward the dressing rooms making sure Kitty was occupied then, before Mystique could begin what ever spiel she had planned, he announced, "My powers are gone."

Lance watched the wind go out of her sails with a bitter, knowing sort of satisfaction. "What do you mean 'gone'?" Mystique asked.

"What do you think I mean?" Lance hissed. "Check the seismic logs, Avalanche is dead, unless you've got something to say to plain old Lance Alvers, you're wasting you're time."

Without another word Mystique turned and walked off. "Yeah, that's what I figured," Lance said to her back.

 


	9. Family Obligations

"Wow," Todd exclaimed in a tone that stopped Pietro and Evan's insult war long enough to see what had caught the younger boy's attention. "That is one hot chick!" Todd clarified, nodding towards a dark haired girl in an artfully torn red outfit.

"Wanda?" Pietro practically squeaked, his voice an octave higher than normal.

The girl turned on them with fire in her eyes. "Hello Pietro," she said, smiling vindictively and the mall went mad.

* * *

 

Scott and Jean fought their way upstream as a flood of people fled from the general direction of the mall's food court. After a few moments Lance, Kitty, Kurt and Amanda joined them in the effort.

"If this is Pietro, Evan or some combination of the two, I'm going to kill them," Scott declared.

A moment later the six cleared the last corner and stood frozen by the scene before them. A striking girl stood at the heart of the maelstrom, not calm but clearly in control of the chaos surrounding her: Handrails had pulled free of their mooring and waved about like threatening tentacles, trays and chairs spun in mid-aid along with a number of Spyke's bone darts. Spyke himself, along with Toad, Blob and Quicksilver huddled behind the meager shelter of several upturned tables.

As they watched a potted tree came to life at the girl's gesture and swatted Quicksilver's shield wall away. The silver-haired speed demon leapt to his feet. "Wanda!" he cried in protest.

The girl smirked and several cash registers rose in the air to hurtle themselves at Pietro.

Scott blasted one away, yelling. "Kurt, get Lance and Amanda out of here!"

"You can't just…" Lance began to protest as Kurt's hand clamped on his shoulder. A poof of brimstone later the three of them appeared two miles down the road. Kurt took a quick glance at Lance's infuriated expression and did two more hops in quick succession to leave his passengers in the Mansion's entryway.

When Kurt returned to the mall the others were in a pitched battle, trying to keep the girl distracted from her main target: Quicksilver.

//Everybody,// Jean projected. //I just got a message from the Professor, he recognized Wanda from Lance's mind, she's a patient of his. He's coming. He says just keep her contained until he arrives.//

"Contained?" Spyke exclaimed diving under an attack from his own bone darts. "How about keeping her from killing us?"

"Link us!" Cyclops yelled at Jean. //Pietro, seems like she's not going anywhere as long as she's got you for target practice. Everyone else make sure he doesn't get nailed.//

//No-worries-Wanda-won't-really-hurt-me,// Pietro added even as Nightcrawler teleported him across the room moments before a ripped up floor tile brained him.

Quickly the X-Men established a pattern of distraction attacks to keep Wanda's attention split while Quicksilver made a target of himself and Nightcrawler and Shadowkat preformed rescues for anyone who bit off more than they could chew.

"How long is this going to take?" Quicksilver demanded narrowly dodging the grasping limbs of a potted tree.

"Getting tired?" Wanda replied. "I'm not."

Scott's com badge crackled to life. "Pull everyone back," Xavier's voice commanded.

"Professor, but you said…" Scott began.

"Pull back now!"

"Oh-shit!" Quicksilver exclaimed realizing he had been herded into a corner. He glanced around and saw no sign of Nightcrawler while Jean was helping a dazed looking Shadowkat to her feet. "Come-on-Wanda, you-wouldn't-really…" He said looking at the array of projectiles she had primed to launch at him.  

With a flick of her wrist Wanda sent a hail of coins to pelt him.

"That hurts Wanda!" Pietro yelled.  A stray coin caught him across the forehead and drew blood.  Wanda appeared transfixed by the thick red ribbon streaming down Pietro's face.  All around the room objects clattered to the floor becoming inanimate once again.

Scott took advantage of Wanda's distraction and blasted her.  Then time seemed to slow down for him as Pietro darted across the room to intercept the beam aimed at Wanda's back. Knowing he'd be too slow, Scott reached up to cut his blast.  As he did Pietro collided head-on with the crimson beam of concussive force at top speed.  The sound of ribs cracking echoed across the room freezing everyone in their tracks. Pietro landed at Wanda's feet in a crumpled heap. Wanda's face went pale, slowly she looked up from Pietro to where Scott stood looking horrified.

* * *

 

"He had no right to send me back like I'm some helpless kid!" Lance ranted.

"Avalanche, calm down," Storm ordered. "This behavior only makes Cyclops' case for him. In this temper you are more a danger to yourself than to any opponent."

"I don't fucking care!" Lance exclaimed.

"They're coming," Amanda said.

Lance hurried to the door then stared at the ragged looking bunch coming up the drive. "Where's Pietro?" he demanded glaring accusingly at Scott.

"We couldn't get to him," Jean said.

Lance's voice was icy as he stormed up to Scott, getting right in the other teen's face he said. "You take my team into a fight, you dump me back here and you have the nerve to come back and tell me you left Pietro behind?"

"I'm sorry," Scott said.

"Stop blaming Scott," Jean snapped. "He tried even after the Professor called us back. If I hadn't pulled him out he wouldn't have left, but we couldn't get to Pietro. After Quicksilver got hurt that girl went crazy!"

"Hurt how?" Lance demanded, not backing down.

"Look Lance, Pietro knew that witch," Evan said as Kitty pulled Lance away from Scott. "He got hurt stopping us from taking her down! We couldn't get to him because she was protecting him!"

"What?" Lanced asked frowning in confusion.

"That's what happened," Todd said, sounding like he didn't believe it himself. "Cyclops was about to take her out and Quickie took the hit for her."

Scott slumped a little. "I never use that much power against Quicksilver. My blasts are concussive, when you combine that with his momentum it's like two cars driving head long into one another. I had no clue he was going to do that."

"Think she was an old girlfriend?" Fred wondered. "That'd explain it."

"I'd date her," Todd said. "I like a girl with fire."

"Wanda is Pietro's twin," Xavier said as he joined the group. "She is a very powerful mutant and her feelings for her brother are conflicted. Rationally she knows he was only a child and not to blame for their father's actions and yet she associates him with their father. However, I believe seeing Pietro injured clarified her true feelings for him. That was why I ordered you to retreat. I have a mental trace on both Wanda and Pietro. He isn't seriously harmed and this confrontation has done much to calm Wanda's anger. Giving them time to talk could prove extremely beneficial."

* * *

 

Pietro sat in the passenger seat of the car Wanda had stolen, head leaned back, eyes closed, skin as pale as his hair trying not to breathe. His sister sat beside him eyes fixed on the road, she cursed under her breath as she used her powers to compensate for her lack of experience behind the wheel.  Wanda turned into a familiar drive, stopped the car then got out and yanked Pietro's door open. When she went to help him out he gasped in pain and a touch of remorse softened her face for a moment.

"Please don't help," Pietro begged. Gingerly he got to his feet then noticed where they were. "You're living here?" he asked but Wanda was already throwing the front door of the Brotherhood Boarding House open.

"Agnes!" Wanda called demandingly. A moment later an elderly woman appeared at the head of the stairs. "He's injured," Wanda informed her.  

Agnes escorted Pietro to the couch, examining him with sharp, piercing eyes then murmured a quick phrase. Pietro cried out in alarm feeling his ribs move under his skin.  "Better now?" Agnes asked.

Tentatively Pietro took a deep breath then smiled, "Good as new. Is healing your mutant power?"

"I'm a witch," Agnes replied simply. "Wanda needs to speak with you."

"Oh," Pietro said sounding uncertain as he turned his attention to his twin who was prowling around the perimeter of the room.

Agnes slipped out leaving them alone together.

"I always knew you didn't really want to hurt me," Pietro said tentatively.

Wanda stalked across the room and grabbed Pietro's jaw.  She forced him to meet her eyes. "Are you with him or with me?" she demanded staring into the depths of his soul.

"He dumped me… again," Pietro said. "Dad doesn't care about me at all."

"True," Wanda said sounding less than satisfied. "But do _you_ care about him?"

"He abandoned me," Pietro reiterated.

Wanda released him slowly, not convinced but giving her brother the benefit of the doubt. "Mystique freed me. She promised me she could find Magneto and I would have my revenge."

"How's-she-going-to-do-that? What-are-you-going-to-do?" Pietro asked nervously.

"With something called cerebro and I'm going to kill him," Wanda said coolly.

"Kill-him!" Pietro squawked and Wanda's face darkened. "Isn't-that-a-little-extreme?"

"For what he did to me, no," Wanda stated.

"But-he's-our-dad!"

"Your father perhaps.  Just remember Pietro, there are only two sides to this.  If you're not with me, you're my enemy, understand?"

Pietro swallowed. "I'm with you," he sighed.

* * *

 

"Magneto is up to something," Xavier declared. "Only we are going to beat him to the punch, but I need you battle ready!"

"Yo, the prof is losing it," Todd whispered to Kurt, who nodded in agreement.

They both looked to Scott.  The older boy's face was beet-red with frustration. "There's no way to win your damn scenarios!" he spat. "You keep changing the rules and throwing more crap at us until we can't cope! We're in the danger room almost every minute of the day and we're so tired people are making mistakes! Three of the New Mutants got hurt because of you're pushing us too hard!"

"They were obviously not experienced enough, I'm removing them from the scenarios. Protecting them only distracts the rest of you," Xavier said.  His gaze picked Lance out.  The dark haired boy stood at the back of the group, the only one not in battle gear, arms crossed over his chest, glowering. "And speaking of distractions. I've told Dr. MacTaggart to return to Scotland with you, this is not a hospital."

"What!" Lance exclaimed.

"You have nothing to offer, you'd be a liability to any team you worked with and your presence here creates a lack of focus in the others," Xavier stated coldly. "And you know it."

Lance's face went dead white, without a word he turned and walked out. The rest of the teens stared at Xavier with in utter disbelief.

"Lance is self-destructive on a good day," Scott exclaimed. "Do you want him to kill himself?"

Kitty ran out of the room after Lance. Todd and Fred pulled closer together, they exchanged a glance then decided to waited to see the resolution of Scott's confrontation with the Professor before going after their friend.

* * *

 

Pietro sat in his old room, a small communicator, dug out from under a loose floorboard cradled in his hands. He started at it as if looking into the depths of a crystal ball.  Pietro remembered coming home after the Asteroid M disaster. Waiting for Mystique to come back, watching the supply of cash they'd found dwindle and watching their early attempts at cooking go up in flames after Lance declared a moratorium on ordering any take out they'd need to pay for.  He remembered reporting their abysmal situation to his father and waiting for help to come.  Waiting while the Brotherhood pooled their resources to think of ways to get cash. Still waiting the day Lance stormed home from the bank, furious because they wouldn't let him open a checking account and the water, power and assorted other bill-making places wouldn't accept cash.  Still waiting without reply when Tabby blew down the door to Mystique's room and gave them access to Mystique's checkbook. He remembered Lance's expression when he told them the account would cover bare necessities for six months, remembered them burning through the account in only two months because of various emergency expenses, mostly repairing damage to the plumbing.

He'd quit waiting for Magneto to show up the day the five of them had spent working together to seal the worst of the myriad of leaks in the roof and the little silvery communicator had been sitting in it's hidey-hole gathering dust since then.

He remembered the determination in Wanda's voice as she informed him she was going to kill their father and flipped on the communicator. "Dad, Magneto, you out there?" Pietro said sounding defeated.

* * *

 

Kitty found Lance haphazardly stuffing clothes in a knapsack. "He's just got a bug up his butt about this Magneto thing," she said desperately. "Mr. Logan or Storm or somebody will talk him out of it, you don't have to go."

"He's right," Lance said not stopping. "I'm useless."

"I don't want you to leave," Kitty cried.

"Well what else am I supposed to do?" Lance demanded. "He threw me out!"

"Go with Dr. MacTaggart," Kitty said. "Just for a little while, just until we can figure out what's wrong with the professor."

Lance hesitated.

"Please," Kitty asked.

He sighed, "One place is as good as another I guess. If it makes you happy, Scotland works for me."

Todd and Freddy ran into the room, "Man you guys left too quick," Todd exclaimed. "You missed all the fireworks."

"What happened?" Kitty asked.

"You saw Cyke getting into it with Xavier?" Todd began looking impressed. "Well Xavier says 'Discussion closed. Get back to training!' yo."

"And Scott, he gets this look and says we're too tired," Freddy interrupted.

"Hey, who's telling this story?" Todd demanded. "Anyways, Xavier's yelling at Cyke about questioning his authority, really mad, practically got Mystique level vein popping going on and Cyke, he just walks up to the control room and WHAM! Practice canceled."

"Xavier looked like he wished he could get out of that chair and strangle someone, probably Scott!" Freddy explained.

"So now the Doc gets in the act. She's just done patching Jubilee after Cannonball's little collision and it ain't been more than a few hours since Magma singed Wolfsbane and Sunspot's broken wrist, she is not in a mood for attitude from anyone," Todd chimed in.

"She backs Scott, said none of us go back till we've had eight hours down time," Fred elaborated. "And Baldy says she's got no say 'cause of her being human. That didn't go over well."

"She's not just going back, she's pulling Rahne out of school and calling everyone else's parents," Todd broke in. "And Cyke walked out on him, said if he wanted to hear that sort of stuff he'd join Magneto. Scott Summers just blew off Professor Charles Xavier! No joking, it was totally unreal!"

"Well we figured you'd be lighting out, so we figured we'd come with," Fred said.

"Look, I'm, well, apparently I'm going to be sitting this all out in Scotland," Lance said sounding resigned. "But if Xavier's off his rocker who's keeping tabs on Quickie and his psycho sister?"

"Damn, when'd we start trusting Baldy?" Todd swore as he realized that they had been taking Xavier's word that Pietro was safe and well. "And you're really going?"

"Yeah," Lance sighed. "It's not like I can help. I'll just get out of the way 'till things settle down."

Todd and Fred exchanged an uncomfortable look. "Well, um, you just get well. We'll take care of Pietro," Fred promised.

* * *

 

Rogue crouched behind a hedge as she and Wolverine watched a group of black-clad soldier types run past. "Yah think these guys are what Mags was fussing about?" she asked.

"Could be," Logan said quietly while he scanned the group's uniforms for any form of insignia. "They're pro's but I don't think they're government, so things could be worse."  The soldiers released several floating robot drones. Wolverine tensed as the things turned their sensors on the surrounding swamps. "Think we've over stayed our welcome darlin'," he said.

Rogue nodded and the pair carefully backed deeper into the overgrowth.

One of the drones locked onto their mutant signatures and with a faint whirl of servomotors it started toward them, summoning the rest of the swarm.  Moments later a gelatinous green glob shot through the night and just missed Rogue. Wolverine turned, with a snarl he pounced on the drone, his claws sliced through it easily. Even as the broken pieces hit the ground five of its brethren appeared in the sky.

"Move it girl!" Wolverine ordered. "Xavier needs to know about this."

Rogue's mouth tightened as she considered disobeying. "Now!" Wolverine growled, lunging after a drone that looked to be bypassing him in favor of targeting Rogue. She turned and fled.

Wolverine brought down a third drone before the remainder rose to a safe altitude and rained their projectiles down on him. Dodging nimbly he fought his way back toward the soldiers. Several more drones converged on him. A low hanging branch gave him the boost he needed to bring one in range of his claws. As he dropped back to the ground he twisted to evade one projectile. Anticipating the move another drone fired and Wolverine found himself completely incased in the green goop, which hardened instantly into a crystalline shell.

Rogue leapt over a root then ducked a moss-hung branch.  She stuck to the heavy underbrush where the drones' mobility was hindered and the twisting branches shielded her from their projectiles.  One drone dive bombed her path trying to use its momentum to force it's way through the foliage.  Hearing the crackle of breaking branches just behind her, Rogue threw all her strength into a sidekick that caught the drone squarely the instant it broke through her cover. With a weak beep it crashed to the ground and remained still.  

Three more drones employed the same tactic. Rogue dodged the first volley only to be brought down a moment later.


	10. Deadly Choices

"Hey-did-ya-miss-me?" Pietro demanded as he appeared in the room Todd and Fred had been sharing since Lance got out of the infirmary and Pietro had moved next door with him.

"You're okay!" Todd exclaimed.

"Of-course-I'm-okay, didn't-Xavier-tell-you? He's-been-yapping-in-my-head," Pietro replied fidgeting.

"Yeah, well he kinda went nuts so we ain't putting much stock in what he says," Fred said shrugging.

"He-did?" Pietro asked sounding nervous. "Oh-who-cares-where's-Lance? I-want-you-guys-to-meet-someone-she-should-be-here-by-now."

"Xavier kicked him out," Todd said.

Pietro's expression turned livid, "She-can't-do-that!" he yelled.

"Wanna bet," Todd said disgustedly. "He got Scott and the doc so mad they both walked. Kitty talked Lance into going to Scotland with Dr. MacTaggart. She thinks this'll blow over. The only reason Freddy and I stayed was we were worried about you."

"Pietro!" A tense, angry voice called from the vicinity of the front door.

The speed demon looked relieved at the interruption. "She's-here," he exclaimed rushing off.

The other two followed more slowly and found several of the X-Men and New Mutants arrayed defensively around the perimeter of the lobby. Pietro stood between them and the dangerous, dark-haired girl from the mall. "Everyone, I'd-like-you-to-meet-my-sister," he said loudly. "She-isn't-mad-at-me-anymore. She-wants-to-join. She's-really-powerful-if-you-hadn't-noticed."

Wanda stared at Pietro's expression suspiciously. Her hand locked around his arm like a talon. "You aren't having second thoughts?" she hissed in his ear.

Pietro laughed nervously and gave her an innocent smile. "You-wanted-to-meet-the-Professor-right? Come-on."

"Hey, Pietro's sister, you got a boyfriend yet?" Todd called hopefully.

"Out of my way toad!" Wanda snarled practically dragging Pietro after her.

"She knows my name," Todd sighed happily.

"Mien friend, you need help," Kurt told him and Freddy nodded his agreement.

* * *

 

"I can't find him Professor!" Jean exclaimed. "I don't know what I'm doing. I'm tired just like everyone else. I can't do it."

"Concentrate Jean, this is of the up-most urgency," Xavier encouraged.

"I'm trying… I've got him! I've really got him!"

"Good, where is he?" Xavier demanded.

"Charles, I am not comfortable with this," Storm was saying. "I return to find a message from Moira questioning your stability, several of the students injured, Cyclops missing… This hardly seems the opportune time for us to aggressively press Magneto."

"And I am telling you this is essential," Xavier retorted. He sighed. "I admit some of my actions may have seemed hasty or extreme. I suppose this only proves even adults can fall prey to the urge to cram before a critical test. However recent information from Wolverine shows we must move against Magneto and it must be now. Please Storm, I have never led you astray, trust me, this must be done."

Storm sighed looking chastened. "I apologize Charles, of course I trust you."

* * *

 

After Xavier finished briefing the X-Men Pietro slipped away from Wanda to join Fred and Todd. "Look-guys, this-isn't-really-our-thing, let's-split," he suggested in a whisper.

Fred glanced over at the diminished and disheartened ranks of X-Men. "I wouldn't feel good about ditching them," he said.

"Guys-this-is-Magneto-we're-talking-about, the-guy-who-bosses-Mystique-and-Sabretooth-around-and-has-Xavier-all-twitchy. Do-you-really-want-to-go-against-him?" Pietro argued. "And-what-happens-if-it-turns-out-he-was-right-about-people?"

Todd caught Wanda's eye and waved, she turned her back on him. "Your sister, my future sweetie seems all for it, yo," he said. " 'Sides, you wanna tell Lance if something bad happens to Kitty?"

Pietro sighed as Wanda joined them and gave up his efforts.

"Jean, Nightcrawler, Toad, Blob you're with me in the helicopter," Beast said. "Spyke, Kitty, Quicksilver, Wanda you'll be with Storm and the Professor on the X-Jet."

* * *

 

Lance sat at the airport beside a livid Moira MacTaggart and a stunned Rahne.

Minutes after Todd and Freddy's report on the blow-up between Xavier and Scott Moira had appeared at his door to tell him she had reserved tickets for a flight back to Scotland that night and that they were leaving as soon as he was packed.

Jean offered to give them a lift to the airport only to have Xavier insist that she stay and train on using cerebro. For the duration of the taxi ride Lance had tried to be amused by the fact that the doctor who constantly lectured him about his temper had totally lost hers.  Only it was pretty impossible to find anything funny when Rahne was sharing the backseat of the taxi gingerly supporting a burned arm and looking shell-shocked. Nothing improved when they reached the airport and it was hours until their flight left.

"It just isna like the Professor," Rahne was saying for what had to be the three dozenth time.

"I know dear, but until Charles snaps out of this insanity he has no business managing children. You and too many of your friends were hurt in his pursuit of his obsession. He's forgotten the very things that set him apart from Erik," Moira said. "If I hadna heard it with mine own ears I couldna believe it."

"Oh my God!" a woman's voice cried. "This can't be real!"

Lance, along with the rest of the airport glanced up to see a battle on the TV screen. More and more people were flocking around screens, staring in disbelief. "Turn up the volume!" someone demanded.

On the screen Toad and Nightcrawler scrambled to avoid a tremendous blast of energy.

Jean stood firm, hands pressed to her temples, holding aloft a giant robot with the power of her mind.

Men in black riot gear carted off green, crystalline structures holding Blob, Spyke and Beast like flies trapped in amber.

Police cars swarmed the scene. Storm strode through them like a wrathful goddess the power of the heavens swirling around her. At her gesture lightening pounded the robot, targeting its power generators as gale force winds sent gravel shearing through its joints at over a hundred miles per hour.

A piece of the exploding robot clipped Toad, leaving him in a boneless heap on the ground. One of the black clad soldiers paused in their retreat to toss him in the back of their truck with the other captives.

"Dear lord," Moira murmured. Rahne moved closer to her guardian, she stared at the screen as if it showed the end of the world.

Moira looked around for Lance but the tall, dark-haired boy was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

 

Long fingered hands in black, fingerless driving gloves loaded a single bullet in a revolver.

Lance shook off the mental image as he charged up the front steps of the Brotherhood Boarding house only to pause in the entryway.

_"Yo!" the voice of a memory called. Lance, newly arrived in Bayville, glanced up to see a slight teenager crouched halfway up the wall, one hand wrapped around the stairway's balustrade, which apparently provided all the support he needed to feel right at home. As Lance watched a long, distinctly greenish tongue shot out of the boy's mouth and reeled in a large moth. Noting Lance's expression of fascinated disgusted the boy said, "They're high in protein, wanna try one?"_

_Lance's expression answered the question for him._

_"So what do you do?" the boy asked._

_Lance made a fist and a sudden quake knocked the younger boy from his perch._

_"Cool, I'm Toad by the way," the smaller boy said as he looked up at Lance from the floor._

_Lance hesitated a moment then offered Toad a hand up. "Lance Alvers… I mean Avalanche," he introduced himself._

_"Todd Tolansky, and strange as it sounds, you'll get used to Mystique-speak really fast."_

In the present day Lance hurried up the stairs to his old room and started digging through his closet for his battle gear.

A vision of the revolver chamber spinning randomly and a sharp flick of the wrist locking it in place, the bullet's position a mystery, hung before his mind's eye.

The phantom sounds of Pietro and Tabby fighting over the bathroom filled Lance's ears.

_Lance leaned against the doorway to his room to watch the fireworks with a knowing smirk on his face.  It was all for nothing, the water wouldn't even be on till the next morning._

_A quiet chuckle escaped Lance's mouth as a series of Tabby's explosions tossed Pietro across the hall and cleared the girl's path to the bathroom.  She rushed in while he was still disoriented and slammed the door behind her. "You lose, I win!" Tabby declared gloating through the locked door. A moment later her voice was raised again as she began cursing._

_Pietro looked at Lance questioningly, then Tabby slammed the door back open, enlarging the hole in the wall that marked the doorknob's height. "There's no fucking water," she declared. "I finally beat Quickie to the bathroom and there's no water!"_

_"You knew!" Pietro accused glaring at Lance.  He was looking distinctly singed from Tabby's attack. He snatched up a cushion from the couch and swung it at Lance's head._

_"You two lovebirds were having such fun," Lance laughed as he raised an arm to shield himself from Pietro's attack while he scrabbled for a weapon of his own. "You guys fight like an old married couple!"_

_Tabby couldn't let that insult go unanswered and quickly threw herself into the fray._

_A few minutes later the noise drew Todd and Fred from in front of the TV. "What are they fighting about, yo?" Todd asked grabbing hold of Fred to steady himself as one of Lance's quakes sent Pietro tumbling to the ground long enough for the dark haired teen to pin him._

_"Give up!" Lance ordered a moment before Tabby's cherry bombs sent both of them flying._

_"Who cares? Shall we?" Fred replied making a sweeping gesture toward the battle zone._

_"Oh but of course," Todd said in a mock upper-class accent and the pair threw themselves gleefully into the fight._

Lance quickly changed into his uniform and started back downstairs, his helmet hanging from his hand. He could almost feel the cold steel barrel of the imaginary gun pressed to his temple.

As he passed by the kitchen door he remembered the smell of tomato sauce.

_Lance glanced through the door and saw Freddy stirring something in a pot on the stove, most of the wall was spattered with something red and Lance really hoped it had something to do with cooking and not one of their inner-team squabbles._

_"I made dinner," Freddy announced. "It's cheaper than the ready-made stuff."_

_"Thanks," Lance said smiling a little as he leaned a stack of bills up against the phone where he'd remember to get stamps for them._

_"Spaghetti's pretty much all I know how to cook," Freddy said apologetically._

_"That's more than I know," Lance replied. "And we'll learn."_

_"Damn right," Freddy replied grinning._

A finger tightened on the trigger of a metaphorical gun.

Lance paused outside the house turning to look back at the only place he'd thought of as a home in nearly a decade. He saw the five of them sprawled out on the porch, exhausted after some form of insanity or another, watching the stars come out.

_"I saw the first star, my wish'll come true," Todd declared as he fought off a yawn._

_"Stars don't move, it was an airplane," Pietro said dismissively. The silver-haired teen was lying back on the porch railing.  He canted his head to look at Todd upside down._

_"It could've been a shooting star," Fred mediated. "Those are really lucky."_

_"Lance already got his wish," Tabby said grinning. "Kitty was doodling your name all over her notebook in homeroom."_

_Lance's eyes popped open. "She was?" he asked eagerly._

_"He's got it bad," Pietro said shaking his head with mock sadness._

_With a hop Todd landed on the arm of Lance's chair and peered in the older boy's ear. "Yep, Kitty on the brain," he announced as Lance shoved him away._

_"At least I've got a girlfriend," Lance declared rolling his eyes at their antics._

_"Oooh she's a girlfriend now," Fred said. "This is serious."_

_"Well, kinda, I haven't asked yet, but she likes me!" Lance finished with a dopey grin._

_"Haven't asked?" Pietro said. "We'll help."_

_A touch of panic entered Lance's eyes. "You really don't…"_

_"What are friends for," Freddy said innocently._

_"Not this!" Lance squeaked._

_"You should compose a sonnet," Tabby suggested._

_"Oh Kitty-Kat fair," Todd began in a syrupy sweet voice. "Oh pretty-Kitty."_

_"Don't help!" Lance exclaimed._

_"Got ya," Pietro laughed._

_For a moment Lance just stared, a feeling of relief swept over him while the others joined in the merriment. Then Lance shook his head and laughed as well, "Just as long as you are joking, otherwise I'll have to kill you," he said and a comfortable silence fell over the group for a few moments._

_Then Pietro sat up with an evil grin, "Oh Pinky are you pondering what I'm pondering?" he asked._

_Todd and Tabby glanced up, mischief gleaming in their eyes._

_"Whatever you're thinking, stop," Lance commanded. "Kelly will know it's you, because it's always you."_

_"You haven't even heard my plan yet," Pietro sulked._

_"I'm going to regret this," Lance sighed._

Lance blinked away the images of his past. They were his family, they were in trouble, he didn't really believe Moira anyway and even if she were right thirty and eighteen weren't really that different… well actually a dozen years was a hell of a long time if all his friends died now, it really wasn't that hard of a choice at all.

He pulled his helmet into place and secured it feeling more sure of himself than he ever had before in his life. "Don't worry guys, I'm coming," he told the phantoms then turned toward the road.

"Bang," he said to himself smiling a little, content with his choice.


	11. All Fall Down

Pietro watched the news broadcast of the battle against the Sentinel and the capture of his friends with Magneto, Sabretooth, Gambit, Colossus and Pyro. "So-you-got-what-you-wanted," he said. "Everyone-knows. Can-we-rescue-them-now? They're-mutants-that's-what-you-want: Mutants against humans."

"If they can't save themselves they aren't worth my time," Magneto said dismissively.

"But…" Pietro protested.

"Don't question me," Magneto ordered.

Pietro stormed out, "I'll just go rescue them myself," he spat.

"Seal exits," Magneto told the computer.

"That's all?" Sabretooth snorted. "You're going soft."

"Catch him if you have the ability," Magneto said coolly. Sabretooth grinned showing long fangs.

As soon as the door closed behind the feral Gambit reached for the intercom switch. Magneto caught his wrist, stopping him. A scowl darkened the demon-eyed mutant's face. "It only be fair to warn de boy he's bein' hunted."

"Quicksilver can take care of himself," Magneto stated.

"S'pose yo'd know," Gambit said settling back in his seat despite the disapproving look in his eyes. At his words Magneto turned to give the younger mutant a surprised glance.

* * *

 

Pietro pounded angrily on the door out of Magneto's base. "Let me out!" he yelled dashing from one exit to the next.

On the fourth round of the doors a clawed hand grabbed Pietro and spun him around then slammed him forcefully into the wall. Pietro gasped as the air whooshed out of his lungs.  Sabretooth planted one hand in the center of the teen's chest and leaned in close, using his weight to pin Pietro in place.

The silver-haired mutant wrinkled his nose at the fetid smell of the feral's breath. "Even Toad's breath smells better, what do you eat?" He asked lashing out at his capture. Pietro had long since decided that he loved physics, or at least one of its rules: Force equals mass times acceleration. He wasn't any stronger than a normal human, but because of that little rule he could hit a lot harder.

Quicksilver's knuckles split and Sabretooth's head rocked back as a deep gash opened up over his cheekbone, but the big mutant's hand only tightened, his claws digging into the teen's flesh as his fingers flexed.  Smiling Sabretooth looked down on his captive, waiting, letting the boy see the effect of his best shot fade and vanish in seconds. "I like prey with spunk," he laughed. "But I was hoping for more of a chase, Mousy. Maybe I should let ya go so I can catch you again." His fingers dug in until blood was streaming down Pietro's chest and he could feel the feral's claws scraping against his ribs. "Or maybe I'll just tear your heart out. I wonder how long it would keep beating like that in my hand." Sabretooth grinned. "So it can go faster," he added after a moment, "Feels like hummingbird wings, so fun to crush."

Before Pietro could find a retort Sabretooth was torn away from him with a sound like a baseball bat meeting flesh.

As Pietro dashed away he heard Colossus snort with disgust. "The next stage in evolution? We're nothing more than a pack of animals."

* * *

 

"Hey! What are you doing with the half-pint?" Logan snarled.  He watched helplessly from his prison as Kitty was lain on a lab table and an IV was placed in her arm.

Trask looked down at the restrained mutant. "As I'm sure you know, the young lady is rather hard to hold on to," he said. "We were lucky to catch her.  She slid through our restraining polymer like it was nothing. Fortunately for us she doesn't have eyes in the back of her head."

"You hurt her and you're dead," Wolverine threatened.

"You are hardly in a position to make threats," Trask said. "But don't worry, this is only a sedative, just to make sure she stays put until we have time to dissect her."

* * *

 

Lance stared at the rubble that was all that remained of the Xavier Institute for Gifted Students. "What the hell happened here?" he said to himself.  Hearing raised voices in the woods he jogged toward them and found Storm, Jean, Nightcrawler and Wanda fresh from the fight he'd seen on the news.  The former three looked shell-shocked and Wanda looked furious as was normal for her.  The New Mutants, looked as ragged as if they'd been in a battle themselves rather than left behind at home as did Scott Summers who was still in civvies going nose to nose with Mystique.  "What's she doing here?" Lance demanded.

"Masquerading as the Professor. She was just about to tell us what she did with him," Scott said, a threat implied in his tone.

"Don't you have more urgent concerns?" Mystique shot back. "So many of your team in the hands of those who despise us?  They undoubtedly have Rogue and the Wolverine as well. I can promise you your professor is in no immediate danger, can you say the same for the rest of your friends?"

Before Scott could formulate a reply sirens split the air. The mutants scattered.

A short while later Lance found himself in a stolen police car with Jean, Iceman and Nightcrawler. Seeing a blockade of military vehicles in their path and a horde of police on their tail Lance prepared to use his powers to clear the way.

"I've got it," Jean said and their car took flight. Several miles down the road they abandoned the too-notable vehicle and took to the woods on foot.

"Scott wants you two to head for the city," Jean told Bobby and Lance. "You can meet up with Berserker in the alley connecting 5th and Marsing, behind Renee's. He knows a place to lay low for a while."

"And that leaves who for the rescue party?" Lance demanded. "Just you, Nightcrawler, Storm and Cyclops, I don't think so."

"Right!" Bobby chimed in. "I can help."

"Lance your powers…" Jean started.

"What if they're unconscious when we find them," Lance interrupted. "I can still carry someone out. Face it Red, you need all the help you can get and Kurt, if you try popping me out to the sidelines again, I promise you won't be coming back with all your teeth."

"Fine, we don't have time for this," Jean huffed. "We're meeting Scott and Storm at Look Out Point."

* * *

 

"Lance, what are you doing here?" Scott demanded as soon as he saw the other teen.

"I can still help, even without powers," Lance insisted once again.

"Considering the danger to you, both from within and without, the risk is too great. I must insist you remain behind," Storm said. "SHIELD's Commander Fury has given us information on where our friends are being held…"

"And you trust him?" Mystique demanded joining the group. "He's human."

"He had us dead to rights and let us go," Scott said. "Besides, it's not like we have any other leads and why do you care?"

"I will not leave any mutant in the hands of one such as Trask," Mystique declared thinking only of Rogue. "I dispatched Wanda to verify her father and brother's deaths then came to assist you."

"Quicksilver?" Lance exclaimed.

"Is a traitor," Mystique replied coolly. "A triple agent in fact. He pretended his feelings for his sister had caused him to betray the rest of the Brotherhood and your new friends to me while in truth his only loyalty was to his father, Magneto. But Wanda dealt with them.  She is such a useful girl, all that rage, all that power at my disposal. She brought a helicopter down on top of them.  Still one likes to be certain about such things."

Lance stood there blinking with shock, "Pietro's dead?" he managed to ask.

"We cannot be certain," Storm said. "But he made his own choices."

"He set us up for Magneto," Jean exclaimed. "He's why everyone else needs rescuing in the first place."

"Right… you're right," Lance said his expression becoming closed and impassive.

"We'll need transportation," Mystique announced looking up from the schematics she'd been reading over Scott's shoulder. "Storm, take care of it."

"Who put you in charge?" Scott demanded.

"I did and if you want your Professor back you will deal with it," Mystique snarled.

Storm nodded, her expression tight with anger, "It will be done," she said taking to the skies.

"I'm coming," Lance said as the others digested Mystique's ultimatum.

"You're useless dead weight," Mystique said. "You pointed that out to me yourself Alvers."

While they waited for Storm's return Lance drew Scott off to one side so they could speak privately. "Summers, I'm going," he reiterated.

"Look, you heard Storm, there's too much risk and not enough gain to justify your coming."

"In other words, you agree with Mystique," Lance said bitterly. "I'm still coming, the last time you were in charge of bringing my team home it didn't turn out so well, remember?"

A look of guilt clouded Scott's face. "Swear you won't use your powers," he said.

"You got my word," Lance replied easily, fingers crossed behind his back.

With his visor Scott's face was always hard to read but something went out of it, leaving his expression grim as he nodded, accepting Lance at his word. "Jean," he said quietly, walking over to the redhead. "Can you mask Avalanche's presence from Storm and Mystique?"

Jean searched his face then she nodded.

* * *

 

Everything went smoothly for maybe the first five minutes of the rescue then a bevy of alarms went off.

Cyclops, Jean and Avalanche gave up their stealthy attempts to work their way to the compound's holding area in favor of a direct assault.  Rounding a corner they came face to face with a unit of soldiers. As he glanced over his shoulder Avalanche caught sight of a man crouched in a connecting hall with a rifle, lining up a shot. The dark haired teen's eyes rolled back as he clenched his fists sending out a wave of tremors. The soldier's shot went wild, striking the roof over Jean's head.  The resultant wave of pain Lance experienced was nauseatingly sudden and severe.

"Keep him moving," Cyclops ordered, clearing a path through the opposing forces with an optic blast.

"I'm good," Lance muttered as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and he forced himself back to his feet.  He tried to blink away the multicolored explosions behind his eyes.  Lance felt Jean's telekinesis subtly wrap around him, a steadying and supporting force urging him forward.

And there was nothing else to do but push forward. After the third use of his powers Avalanche quit trying to guess if Cyclops or Jean could handle a threat before cutting loose. First, the pain in his head was so intense he could hardly focus past it, it seemed safe to assume if he were the first to notice a threat the other two were too busy to deal with it. Second, Lance was certain it didn't matter any more; he was past the point of no return. The pain was beyond belief. All he cared about was hanging on long enough to see Kitty, Todd and Fred safe, after that he could happily lay down and die if it meant an end to the pain.

Then there was a triumphant shout and suddenly the hall was full of familiar forms, Nightcrawler's gambit of teleporting ahead had paid off and the escapees were able to meet them halfway.

Lance forced his mind to focus and picked out Fred, all but towing Todd along with him. There was blood dried in the smaller boy's hair but he was on his feet.  The relief Lance felt seeing them relaxed the raw determination that was keeping him marginally on his feet. A moment later he spotted Kitty's limp form cradled in Beast's arms and despair finished the job of shattering his control. Blackness roared up around him and swept the world away.

 


	12. Paying the Piper

"None of it was your fault Scott," Jean said quietly joining the X-Men's field leader outside of the cave where they'd taken refuge while Storm and Beast tried to talk some sense back into the world.

"Where you able to reach Dr. MacTaggart?" Scott asked.

Jean nodded. "She thinks we have to risk taking Lance to a hospital. She'll meet up with us before hand, with her being his doctor and all they probably won't start digging too much for a cause. She thinks there's a chance she can keep anyone from realizing he's a mutant. Lance missed the first fight, he didn't end up on the news."

"Todd and Fred did, they'll put it together," Scott said.

"Moira says it's worth the risk," Jean replied with a worried glance at Scott.

Her field leader flinched. "I never should have let Lance come," he said heading back into the cave. "We still have to figure out how to get him to the hospital without getting the police after us again."

Inside the cave Rogue was keeping an eye on Kitty, the sedatives were slowly wearing off leaving the slight girl awake but so drugged that she wasn't really aware of the situation. The rest of the X-Men were huddled around Bobby and his portable television.

Fred sat off to one side, staring dazedly into space as if he simply couldn't take in everything that had happened. Todd was huddled in a miserable ball beside his large friend.

Finally Scott forced his attention to the rear of the cave where Logan was watching over Lance. Scott had thought that the guilt couldn't get any worse than the moment after they'd been reunited with their captured teammates. The moment when he turned and saw Lance's body slumped lifelessly against the support provided by Jean's telekinesis, the cost of his decision. They were his team, he'd been the one to override Storm's decision and brought Lance along. 'Did I really believe, even for a moment, that Lance wouldn't use his powers to rescue his friends, his team?' Scott thought.  But that hadn't been the worst.

_"We've got to get Lance to a hospital!" Jean yelled as Fred climbed into the helicopter carrying the dark haired teen. "He's still alive."_

_"Lance?" Storm's voice was confused. "How did he?"_

_"He wanted to come," Jean said defensively as the other X-Men piled in behind them._

_"Hospital now!" Toad yelled, "Blame later!"_

_"Take off!" Scott exclaimed as he boarded the 'copter._

_"What about Mystique?" Bobby asked._

_"Not coming," Wolverine said as they lifted off._

_"Robert, locate a hospital," Storm ordered._

_"No!" Wolverine countermanded. "We take him in and he'll be back in a place exactly like that one within the hour."_

_"Both Lance and Kitty seem stable," McCoy said._

_"We need to go to ground," Wolverine said._

_"Where?" Evan asked. "They know about us."_

_"I want to go home," Fred said quietly._

No one had disagreed and so they came home, to a pile of rubble that had once been their sanctuary.  And standing on a bluff over looking Bayville, they wondered about living in a new and hostile world. Until they were forcibly reminded that living wasn't necessarily a given.

_"Lance!" Todd yelled in alarm. Scott turned to see the lanky teen jerk spastically against his friend's efforts to hold him still. A moment later the earth convulsed in response to Lance's condition._

_"Get away from the cliff!" Cyclops yelled.  He grabbed Bobby and pushed the younger boy toward safer ground as the edge of the bluff crumbled. Fred scooped up both Lance and Todd and ran. A fissure opened up beneath Rogue and Kitty. Kurt teleported, snatching them from danger. Jean levitated herself and Wolverine across the obstacle. Beast dove at Storm, knocking her out of the path of a falling branch._ _Evan used a handful of spikes to pin a downed powerline. "How do we stop him?" he yelled._

_"Lance isn't conscious!" Jean cried._

_"Rogue drain off some of his power!" Scott ordered._

_"No," Storm said. "We cannot predict how she might react to his powers."_

_"He's choking!" Fred shouted._

_Logan and Hank scrambled across the shuddering terrain. "Lay him down, we gotta clear his air way," Logan said._

_Rogue tugged the still sedated Kitty away from an eruption of earth. "This ain't Avalanche's normal quake."_

_"He's not controlling it," Cyclops guessed._

_"It's over," Bobby sighed in relief as the shaking stopped._

_"He's flatline!" Logan yelled._

_"Stand aside," Storm commanded, lightening crackling around her hands._

"Ya got Moira?" Logan asked, his voice dragging Scott back into the present.

"She said she'd meet us at the hospital," Jean said.

"She been watching the news?" Logan asked. No one asked what he meant; there'd already been two reports of people killed by neighbors who suspected they were mutants. If Lance suffered another seizure and someone put the pieces together it was all too obvious what would happen.

Jean grimaced. "Dr. MacTaggart knows about it. She says we have to take the risk," Jean glanced down at Lance, her expression sad. "Moira thinks it doesn't matter. She can't believe he's alive now."

"Logan, you and Rogue haven't been on the news yet," Scott said. "You can get him to Moira."

"I guess there ain't much of a choice," Logan signed.

"We're coming," Todd said grimly.

Scott put a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "You've been ID'ed, you're being with him would only increase the chances of someone realizing he's a mutant."

"Vait," Kurt said holding up his image inducer. "One of you can use it."

"Todd should go," Fred said. "It won't make me smaller and even if I looked different, I'll still stand out, I always do."

Kurt put the inducer on Todd's wrist then activated it. "Oh, better not make you look like me," he said fiddling with the device. "They probably know who I am."

A moment later Todd disappeared to be replaced by a nondescript 15 year old. "Thanks," he said softly. Logan picked up Lance in a fireman's carry, Rogue and Todd followed after him.

* * *

 

Pietro tagged along after his father as the older man strode from console to console in his ops-center. "Wanda's in control and she's really-really-really powerful. You could try talking to her. She's everything you want. We could rescue her and everyone then, maybe if you apologized…"

"Quicksilver enough," Magneto snapped. "I don't have time for this."

"Please Dad, they're my friends," Pietro begged. "You can do anything, why won't you rescue them?"

"I said enough!"

Disheartened the silver haired teen left the ops-center to wander the base's halls. The whir of cards being expertly manipulated drew his attention. The Cajun slouched against a shadowed wall, one foot braced against it, head tilted disinterestedly toward his cards, his bo-staff leaned up beside him. Pietro felt the urge to mock the carefully posed air of nonchalance the other mutant projected. "S' yo're de boss' son?" Gambit asked and there was a challenge in his voice.

"Magneto told you that?" Pietro asked.  He hated the part of himself that could get excited over something so stupid.

Gambit straightened, the cards and bo disappeared into his trenchcoat with a long practiced slight of hand. When his eyes met Pietro's challenge had been replaced by pity. "Sorry kid, I be a sneak-t'ief. I broke into de man's files," he said.

Pietro slumped then grabbed for the one part of the statement he felt comfortable with. "Who are you calling a kid?" he demanded. "You're barely any older than I am."

The other mutant smirked at that but chose not to comment. "I be Gambit," he introduced himself.

"Quicksilver," Pietro replied. "So you guys are Magneto's new team huh? Our replacements."

"I s'pose. We all be Magneto's, oui. Mais I don' know dat I'd call us a team. De big Russian keeps to hisself, t'ink he t'inks he be bettah dan de rest of us. Pyro ain't bad for a game of cards or a drink, don' mean I trus' him. Den dere's M'sieur Chat," Gambit's eyes took on an eerie glow. "I could do wit'out Chat," he said darkly.

* * *

 

Todd sat in the back of the car they'd 'borrowed' via Wolverine smashing the window. He didn't bother telling himself it was the cold breeze making him shiver, not when he was holding Lance's still form in his lap, his fingers resting along the underside of Lance's jaw to make sure the other boy's heart didn't stop beating again. Todd was scared to death, too scared to bother denying it.

Outside the car Wolverine and Moira exchanged a few words then Moira and Rahne slipped into the front seat while Logan and Rogue headed back to the others.

Moira pulled up to the emergency room entrance of the hospital then rushed inside, Todd heard her voice barking urgent instructions.  Several orderlies hurried out and took Lance from him. Rahne led Todd into the waiting room, they sat together in silence as the controlled chaos of the emergency room broke around them; Children crying.  A man with a hacking painful cough.  A woman cradling her arm whimpering quietly.  Doctors, nurses and orderlies bustling about their business.  The receptionist trying to explain paperwork to a distracted parent.  And islands of stillness, people like them who could only wait and pray staring blankly at the walls or flinching every time a doctor seemed to start toward them.

The news blared in the background, the footage of the X-Men's fight against the Sentinel showing for what had to be the two hundredth time. And even here, with so many others pressing concerns, people gathered beneath the television, muttering darkly about 'the mutant threat'. Todd and Rahne huddled together in a corner and hoped not to be noticed by those types.  The endless night wore on.  They watched as fresh videos replaced the Sentinel footage.  Todd and Rahne drew closer despite their fears as their friends and teammates battled the Juggernaut to a standstill and still there was no word on Lance.  Morning passed into afternoon. Beast and Strom shifted the mood of the congressional hearing in their favor and Trask was arrested.  

Moira finally returned to the waiting room and sat down beside Todd.  For a long moment she just sat there looking exhausted. Todd waited expecting to hear the worst. "Lance's condition has stabilized," Moira finally said. "But the blood flow within his brain was badly restricted for hours, the resultant increase in blood pressure caused a number of capillaries to burst exacerbating his condition. I've done MRI scans and there is a marked decrease in brain activity. We don't know enough about the human brain to make a definite prognosis, there's always a chance, but not a good one."

"Can I see him?" Todd asked.

Moira hesitated. "He had to be placed on a respirator," she warned.

"I wanna see him," Todd reiterated.

Moira nodded and led him into the intensive care ward. She left him beside Lance's bed.

Todd stared down at his friend. He tried to shut out the quiet beeping of the heart monitor and the whoosh of air being forced into Lance's lungs, the antiseptic smell of the hospital mixed with the smell of blood and illness.  Todd felt his lungs burn as he forgot to breath.  The tube forced down Lance's throat looked painful. His eyes were sunken and looked bruised. His skin was translucently pale. His features were drawn.  Todd pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down with his knees pulled to his chest, arms wrapped around his legs. His vision blurred as he blinked back tears.

* * *

 

Pietro sat in front of the TV, for once not interested in channel surfing. As soon as the new cast finished he rewound and started it again. "Where's-Toad? Blob's-fighting-with-them-why-isn't-Toad? He's-got-to-be-there, he's-got-to-be-there!"

He started the video one more time, watching it at half speed, trying to catch sight of the youngest of his friends.

"Enough, shut that off," Colossus ordered, Pyro nodded in agreement.

Pietro ignored them. "He's-got-to-be-there!" he chanted.

"He's not there," Pyro said. "You've been watching that damn thing for almost twenty-four hours, if you haven't seen him yet he's not there."

* * *

 

Scott walked into the hospital and glanced around uncomfortably. Ororo stood beside him. Moira met them at the door and directed them into a quiet alcove.

"We best keep a low profile," she said. "Do you know when we'll be able to move him to a more protected facility?"

"The explosion was set to camouflage the Institute's lower levels rather than destroy them," Ororo said. "They will be inhabitable again within the day, the medlab should not require more than a week's repairs."

"You wanted someone to pick up Todd and Rahne," Scott said.

Moira sighed. "Keep the boy occupied.  Having him sitting here dwelling on things does no one any good."

"Then Lance…" Scott began uncertainly.

"Lance is very badly hurt," Moira said.

"Fred and Kitty both wanted to come," Scott said.

"Perhaps now is not the best time for visitors," Moira said. "Scott if you could ask the nurse to get Todd for you, I'd like to speak with Ororo for a moment."

"How bad is it?" Ororo asked frowning in concern as Scott left.

"With every test I get back the picture looks bleaker," Moira said. "At this point my primary concern is for his friends. I made a mistake allowing Todd to see him here."

Ororo's eyes darkened with grief. "Yes the infirmary at the Institute is a less severe place."

* * *

 

Scott glanced at the desk then walked into the intensive care ward. A harried looking nurse gave him a questioning stare. "I'm here to see Lance Alvers," he said and she pointed him in the proper direction.

Walking into the indicated room Scott froze for a moment at his first sight of Lance. Then he put a gentle hand on Todd's shoulder. "Hey, we need to get the Institute ready so we can take Lance home, you want to come help?" he asked.

Todd nodded and let Scott escort him out of the ward.

* * *

 

"I am so sick of these prank calls!" Jean exclaimed slamming down the phone.

Kurt glanced up from the wall he was scrubbing soot off of. "Vhich type?" he asked.

"The call and hang up one," Jean said with frustration. "I wish we hadn't gotten the phones fixed, the only reason anyone calls anymore is to harass us!"

Kurt shrugged helplessly. "Amanda called to see if I vere okay," he said.

Jean smiled a little, "Have you seen Scott?"

"I think he's helping Fred and Todd finish restocking the infirmary," Kurt said. He shook his head sadly adding, "I don't think Todd has said a thing since he came back from the hospital."

"And Fred just picks at his food," Jean said. "Pietro betraying them and what happened to Lance all in one day… It's odd how they've attacked themselves to Scott though."

Kurt shrugged, "Scott's good at being solid."

* * *

 

Pietro flitted around the Acolyte's common area like a hyperactive humming bird. "What-ya-doing?" he asked leaning over Colossus' shoulder. The big man batted ineffectually at him. "Do-you-think-Magneto's-ever-going-to-let-us-out? I'm-going-nuts-locked-up-here!"

"You are driving all of us insane!" Colossus growled.

Pietro darted away, going to where Pyro was lying back on the couch a loose-leaf notebook propped up against his legs. "What's-that? Oh-it's-a-story-can-I-read-it? Do-you-need-help? I-could-edit."

Pyro flicked his lighter and a moment later Pietro was held at bay by a wall of flames.

Pietro made a face at the Australian fire-tamer for a moment then turned his attention on the Cajun.  Gambit was laying out cards across the table with a deliberate care. "That-doesn't-look-like-solitaire," Pietro commented grabbing a seat across from the Cajun and receiving a tolerant grin.

" 'M readin' m' future," Gambit explained as Sabretooth came in and settled in front of the TV and started changing channels.

"Hey-I-was-watching-that!" Pietro protested jumping up.Sabretooth snarled threatening at the teen and Pietro settled back in his chair. "For-real?" he asked Gambit. "Don't-you-need-special-cards-to-do-that? Do-you-believe-in stuff-like-that?"

"Tarot cards be more precise," Gambit replied patiently. "Mais dis deck knows me. I've seen de cards tell de truth too often to not believe dem, oui."

"Really?" Pietro asked. "Would-you-read-my-future? Wait-a-sec, I'll-be-right-back."

"It's like living with a damn two-year-old," Pyro complained as soon as the door swung shut behind Pietro.

"He's not s' bad," Gambit replied. "One of m' cousins was ADHD."

"The blond pipsqueak?" Sabretooth asked smirking with a demented gleam in his eyes.

"Don' yo' mention him!" Gambit spat his eyes burning. "Magneto's de only reason I ain't kilt yo'!"

"Like to see ya try Gumbo," Sabretooth said with a predatory smile that revealed deadly looking fangs.

"Jus' wait, your time's comin'," Gambit promised.

Pietro came back in muttering under his breath. "Why-won't-she-answer-the-phone?" He sat down across from Gambit again, fidgeting.

"Shuffle de cards, let dem meet yo'," the Cajun instructed.

Pietro shuffled the cards quickly then handed them back. Gambit stopped him. "Take a moment," he advised.

Pietro sighed and shuffled again more slowly. "This-is-boring," he complained.

"I agree," Sabretooth said and sprung at Quicksilver.

"You're-really-slow," Quicksilver taunted, already sitting on the couch Sabretooth had just abandoned. "I-guess-that's-why-you-don't-fight-fair."

Sabretooth pounced again and landed on an empty couch. Pyro and Gambit both smirked at the big mutant's inability to lay a hand on the slender teen. He growled at them then fainted toward Pietro.  Quicksilver darted out of the way.  He realized that he'd been played only after he felt burning lines of pain across his shoulder as Sabretooth tagged him.  Feeling queasy Pietro watched the big mutant lick the blood off his claws. "Nothing like a little chase to work up an appetite," Sabretooth purred. "Better run Mousy, I'm in the mood to play."

Pietro felt his pulse quickening, looking into Sabretooth's amber eyes he had no doubts that the big mutant would hunt him down and kill him, for food or just for the fun of it and with his blood staining Sabretooth's claws even his mutant speed didn't make him feel particularly safe.  Sabretooth slowly grinned at the boy then lunged forward. Pietro sprinted out of the room. Sabretooth bounded after him.

* * *

 

Pietro knew he should be able to run rings around the other mutant, but the base was feeling smaller every second and Sabretooth showed no sign of tiring of this game. Pietro tugged desperately at a locked door then doubled back.  

He tried not to notice how much of the narrow hall Sabretooth took up as he went to slip past the feral.  A clawed hand wrapped around Pietro's throat and lifted him off the ground like he weighted nothing at all. He kicked and struggled futilely, finally wrapping both hands around Sabretooth's wrist just trying to keep breathing.

Sabretooth tightened his grip and , laughed. Black spots danced before Pietro's eyes.  Distantly he heard a voice scream, "Etienne, no!" then an explosion tore him free of Sabretooth's grasp.  Woozy from lack of oxygen and being slammed into a wall, Pietro looked up to see Gambit and Sabretooth going at each other full-tilt.

The Cajun thief employed both explosions and bo-staff with expert skill to keep the feral mutant off balance, but Sabretooth shrugged off the blows with ease.  Grinning fiercely Gambit lunged forward using his bo-staff like a spear, putting all his weight into the blow. The end of the staff sank between Sabretooth's ribs, Gambit used it to channel his charge deep into Sabretooth's body.  He blew off the end of the staff and put a huge hole in the feral's side.

One hand over the wound Sabretooth lunged, his claws stretching toward Gambit's throat, intending to tear it out.

A pair of metal bars flew between the two, pinning them to opposing walls.  "Enough!" Magneto thundered. "How many times must I forbid this ceaseless feuding? You are both sworn to me."

"I t'ought yo' might not like Chat killing your new recruit," Gambit said gesturing to Pietro.

Magneto stared down at his son, his eyes coldly noting the bloody gashes across Pietro's shoulder and the ring of bruises around his throat then turned away with disappointment in his eyes.  "You two will not fight," Magneto ordered turning to leave, trusting his orders would be carried out, at least for the moment.

"Saved by the bell again, huh Cajun?" Sabretooth drawled.

Gambit's quick eyes gleamed as they fastened on the way Sabretooth had to hold his injury closed to keep his guts in. It was already beginning to heal, but it was no trifling hurt either. "I bloodied yo' dis time," he said.

"I've gotten worse shaving," Sabretooth replied.

"I s'posed dat 'xplains why yo' gave it up," Gambit said offering Pietro a hand up. "Yo' 'kay kid?"

"Don't help me," Pietro said angrily shoving past the other mutant and storming back to his room.

* * *

 

"I brought supper," Rogue said sitting a tray on the desk beside Kitty's bed.

When Kitty remained curled up under her covers Rogue gave her shoulder a gentle shake. "Come on girl, it's been three days, ya can't spend your whole life in bed."

After a few moments Rogue sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, carefully she started untangling Kitty's hair, humming softly.

Finally Kitty turned a tear stained face toward her friend. "It just wasn't real until I saw him," she said. "Dr. MacTaggart and the Professor and the other teachers kept saying things like they didn't think Lance was going to wake up but I didn't listen. He's not even breathing except for that machine Rogue."

"Ah know," Rogue said.

"I can't believe Pietro betrayed us, the guys, like that," Kitty exclaimed. "This is all his fault. He let us walk into Magneto's trap. We got caught and Lance had to come after us."

"Pietro couldn't have know what would happen," Rogue said quickly, defensively.

"He turned on his friends to stand with Mystique then he betrayed her to Magneto," Kitty said, with growing anger. "He isn't loyal to anyone!"

They were interrupted by Evan's raised voice. "Whoever you are say something!" he yelled. "I dare you. Are you scared I'm gonna recognize your voice, coward!"

"Evan just hang up," Rogue yelled heading for the hall. "Don't give 'em the satisfaction."

Kitty followed after her. "The danger room is fixed right?" she said. "I'm going to find a program with Pietro in it."

* * *

 

Pyro sat in the control room, boots casually propped up on the console. Pietro slipped in and appeared startled to see the other mutant. "You trying to call your mystery girl again?" Pyro asked.

"So what?" Pietro snapped. "Are you just going to sit there?"

"You're not the only one's who's bored around here," Pyro said.

After a few minutes Quicksilver asked, "So what's with Gambit and Sabretooth?"

"Who the hell knows," Pyro snorted. "I mean Gambit shows up all laid back, laissez le bons temps rouler, until the mountain man walks in.  The next thing anyone knows it's taking Magneto and crowbar to pry them apart."

"Really? Sabretooth attacked him?" Pietro asked.

"That's what you'd think," Pyro said. "But Gambit's got some sort of scar that doesn't fade and 'Tooth, he likes picking at it. Gambit always ends up throwing the first punch. Sometimes I get the idea Gambit hangs around because he likes Magneto refereeing their fights while he tests the limits of 'Tooth's healing factor."

* * *

 

Scott lay in his bed waiting for the rest of the Institute to fall asleep. When everything was silent he rolled to his feet and slipped out into the hall.  On silent bare feet he padded past the sleeping area. He opened the door to the infirmary being careful not to wake Moira, who'd chosen to make up sleeping quarters there in case the worst happened.  Scott stood in the doorway, light from the hall illuminated Lance's form. For a few minutes Scott watched the mechanically precise rise and fall of the other teen's chest as his body was forced to breathe then Scott eased the door shut and continued his pilgrimage ending in the control center above the danger room. "Run scenario, Day of Reckoning," he said as he typed. The computer screen came to life showing a replay of the rescue operation.

Scott watched as Avalanche spotted a sniper and used his powers to spoil the man's shot. "Rewind, remove Avalanche from the scenario and play," Scott requested.

The scene replayed, Scott flinched as the bullet found its mark and Jean's skull exploded in a spray of blood.

"Probability of Cyclops or Grey spotting sniper?"

"Cyclops: probability 44%, Grey: probability 46%."

"Rerun the scenario, assumed Grey spots the sniper," Scott commanded then sighed in relief as a telekinetic shield harmlessly diverted the bullet.

The scenario continued with Scott occasionally, stopping the program and overriding the probabilities.

"Stop," Scott exclaimed. For a moment he put his head down on the desk.

"Rewind to start," he typed. "Reintroduce Avalanche. Run scenario as if he were baseline human."

A slender hand reached over Scott's should and shut off the computer. "So this is what you do rather than sleep these days," Ororo said. "Perhaps talking may prove more help."

"About what?" Scott said.

"What do your scenarios tell you?" Ororo asked.

"No matter what I try, if Lance doesn't use his powers our odds of rescuing the others with no casualties goes down 20% and the odds weren't good to start with," Scott reported. "Like Lance would have just acted as a third set of eyes anyway… If he isn't there more people die."

"Then your scenarios support the decision that was made," Ororo said her voice neutral.

"I walk next door and they're just a bunch of numbers," Scott said. "They don't mean anything."

"And yet there is meaning in Lance's choice," Ororo said. "The teaching staff feared he would use his powers in a moment of temper or foolishness, throwing his life away for nothing. Lance chose to accept the risk to himself to protect his friends."

"You wouldn't have let him come," Scott said.

"I did not consider the possibility that we would fail without him," Ororo replied. "I would not have asked him to live with that failure knowing he might have been able to change the outcome had he been present."

"There had to have been a better way," Scott cried.

 


	13. Nadir

As the car turned into the Institute's driveway, revealing the pile of rubble that was all that was left of the mansion Logan stopped his update. After a moment of silence he said. "I'm damn sorry you're coming home to all this Charles."

Professor Xavier reached out with his powers, touching the minds of his students and his expression saddened as he realized that at least to some extent every one of them was in a state of shock. "It's too soon," Xavier protested. "They're just children," Logan didn't argue with the sediment. Their home had been destroyed, they were bombarded with news reports calling them monsters, and then there was Lance, it was so much more than any group of teenagers should be asked to deal with.

Xavier used his powers to listen to his student's surface thoughts as they began the task of rebuilding.

/I knew, I had to have known what he'd do. Why did I let him come?/

/This was my room./

/I'm not surprised Maximoff betrayed us./

/This isn't real./

/I was helping them! Why are they calling me a menace./

/Mom's going to freak./

/What if they come after us here./

/Lance, please wake up./

/We could have died./

/Are we going to have to hide in the sewers like the Morlocks now?/

/They don't want us here./

/This is all just a nightmare. If I don't talk it'll go away./

/Oh my god, it's one of Kitty's muffins. The blast didn't even dent it./

/Maybe Magneto is right./

/They know we're here, is it safe to stay?/

/It's not fair!/

/Oh yippee, one standing wall and look, graffiti./

/Why are people like this?/

/This isn't real./

/I'm going to wake up and none of this will be real./

/Was it just a couple of days ago?/

/This isn't real./

/Why do they hate us?/

/It shouldn't be like this./

* * *

"Charles I think you should see this," Hank McCoy said leaning into the storage room Xavier had commandeered as a study and bedroom.

"What is it?" he asked. McCoy gestured toward the TV in the large room that had become their living room.

Xavier maneuvered his chair out from behind his desk and followed Hank. The TV screen was titled 'Mutant Menace". The background was a map of Bayville overlaid by a multitude of dots and dates. In the foreground Xavier recognized the head of the team of siezmotologists who'd been studying Bayville since Avalanche had begun making his presence felt.

"Less than a year ago Bayville went from being one of the more geologically stable regions of the country to experiencing nearly daily earthquakes. Almost all of the disturbances have been extremely localized, being felt no more than a block from the epicenter and totally unlike anything recorded before.

My team has been studying the phenomenon for months with no viable theories as to why it began or why it subsided just over a month ago, but I believe recent events finally have provided us with an explanation: A mutant who can cause earthquakes."

"This is hardly catastrophic," Xavier said.

"Just wait," Hank sighed.

"One thing that we have yet to consider when discussing the potential threat represented by mutants is the long term impact their unnatural powers may have on our world. In this specific case how has this mutant's activities affected the tectonics structure beneath Bayville?" the scientist continued. The picture zoomed in on the map, highlighting one particular point.

"That's where we were when Lance had his seizure," Hank commented softly.

"As I said earlier, most of the quakes recorded were remarkably locale phenomenon, they affected little more than top soil. This quake, however, was different; originating much deeper in the earth's crust, possibly creating a new fault-line below Bayville placing the city at risk from natural earthquakes and even volcanic activity."

"Good lord, they're setting the stage for a witch hunt," Xavier exclaimed.

Hank nodded, "The broadcast began with news of a warrant for the arrest of any mutant with Lance's powers. They already suspect one of the Brotherhood, the boarding house was the epicenter of too many quakes for them to overlook the connection.

"Then they'll be coming here shortly," Xavier sighed. "We'd best warn the students."

"Will you give Lance to them?" McCoy asked quietly.

"No," Xavier said. "I doubt any further harm can come to the boy, but no, I won't turn him over to the sort of mob that report will stir up."

McCoy smiled, "Perhaps some misdirection, I'll make sure the students know not to refer to Lance by his codename."

* * *

Pyro laid his hand on the table. "I fold," he said getting up with a yawn. "And I'm off to bed."

"Another hand?" Quicksilver asked as Gambit raked in the pot.

"Don' yo' evah sleep Silver-kid?" the Cajun asked good-humoredly.

"Not if I can help it," Pietro muttered.

Gambit gave the teen a searching look then said, " I wedge one of m' cards in de door while I sleep. Dat way it blows up in de face of anyone openin' it."

"Why didn't I think of doing that?" Pietro said bitterly.

"I s'pose alarmin' de door wouldn' help," Gambit said. "Non, de room's too small. 'Course dere are 'fficiencies on de lower floor. Not much more dan a couple of glorified broom closets wit' a bat'room 'tween dem really, mais yo' got a back door, Chat won' be able to corner yo' so easy."

Pietro's eyes widened in surprise. "Thanks," he said as Gambit dealt the cards. Several hands later he asked. "Why are you here anyway? None of you guys are like Dad or Mystique, you don't want to take over the world and I don't think you're into hurting people like Sabretooth."

" 'M nothing like Chat!" Gambit snapped then he took a deep breath, reining in his temper. "Oui, yo' be right, a'way been a live an' let live type. I won' be anyone's victim dough. I t'ought dat be what your pere was 'bout. Mais I don' much care for de company he keeps."

"So why do you stay?"

"I gave de man m' word. He was de first person I met who didn't t'ink I was de devil's spawn," Gambit said.

"Everybody?" Pietro asked disbelievingly.

Gambit smiled fondly at his memories. "Once I asked mon pere why he 'dopted a demon chile. He tol' me demons an' angels be no different 'xcept in de choices dey make an' dat when de time came he trusted me to make de right choices," he said. "Jean-Luc nevah gave a damn what I was, I miss him somet'ing awful."

"He sounds cool," Pietro said a little sadly. "Why'd you leave?"

"Because he was wrong 'bout me," Gambit said. "I made de wrong choice and someone died who shouldn't have."

* * *

Storm faced the Institute's assembled students with a sigh. "Children please remember today is not the day to show off. Please co-operate with the officers, but show him nothing more than you must."

"And remember they're looking for Avalanche," Logan said. "If there's anything to be said about him, leave to us, we only need them hearin' one story."

"We understand," Scott said. "When does the freak show start?"

Xavier flinched. "They're pulling up to the gates now," he said. "And I'm afraid you're right, there's a news crew following after them."

Wolverine snarled as a discontented murmur swept threw the students.

"I will deal with this," Xavier said.

When the police officers stepped out of their car they found the Institutes' entire population assembled on the front steps, most of them scowling or watching with carefully guarded neutrality.

Xavier waited for the men to approach then glared pointedly at the camera crew following them. "You have a warrant to be here," he said. "They are trespassing on private property."

"Freedom of the press," the reporter retorted. "Bayville has a right to know what sort of dangers you're housing here!"

"I'll show 'em what sort of danger," Wolverine growled.

"Logan," Ororo said, placing a hand that was both calming and restraining on the stocky fighter's shoulder.

The students drew closer together, the phrase "Witch hunt," could be heard passing around the group.

The lead police officer turned to the news crew. "I told you when you started following us that they had every right to ask you to leave. Now you've been asked and if you don't go I will have to arrest you," he said.

Grumbling reluctantly the camera crew retreated to the gates.

"Let us take this around to the backyard," Storm said calmly, smiling at the camera crew as she led the students and police behind the newly erected frame of the mansion.

"I'm Officer Jensen, this is my partner, Officer Rondell. First off I'd like to reassure you that this is not a witch hunt."

Berserker snorted loudly in disbelief.

"If a crime were committed using martial arts would I be wrong to ask local dojos if they knew of anyone with the ability to commit the crime?" Jensen asked.

"There's been a crime committed?" Scott asked sarcastically.

"Reckless endangerment," Jensen said. "I am aware that it is likely the person responsible was unaware of the consequences of their actions, but that is why we have courts."

"And witch hunts never ended in witch trials," Kitty muttered.

"I need each of you to state your name and demonstrate your power," Jensen said as if he hadn't heard Kitty.

"And here Ah thought the Mutant Registration Act failed," Rogue commented.

"It is more than apparent that you have frequently made a practice of using your powers in and around the Bayville High School, which is one of the primary epicenters for this areas earthquakes," Jensen replied. "It would be a show of good faith if you'd co-operate."

Storm stepped forward, "I am Ororo Monroe, I believe my powers have been adequately demonstrated by the local news coverage."

"You can create lightening correct?" Rondell asked. Storm nodded.

Logan stalked forward. "Wolverine," he unsheathed his claws, close enough to Jensen's face to make the man jump. "Any questions?"

"Henry McCoy," Beast said spreading his arms wide and doing a model's turn. "What you see is what you get."

"Dr. Moira MacTaggart, bad handwriting," Moira said factiously. "Some of us aren't mutants you know."

"Thank you," Jensen said. "Now if we could begin with the students?"

/Jean Grey, telepath and telekinetic./ Jean projected, levitating the note pad Rondell had been writing in.

"Scott Summers, you saw the news."

"Nightcrawler," Kurt said teleporting to the front of the group then quickly back into his place.

A bone spike flew into the ground at the officer's feet. "Evan!" Storm reprimanded.

"He wanted to see," Evan said unrepentantly. "It's Evan Daniels by the way."

"Bobby "the Iceman" Drake," Bobby announced using his powers to make the air around the officers uncomfortably cold.

"Samuel Guthrie, I fly, sir," Cannonball said his tone polite but cold. He blasted off then crashed to the ground. "I don't land so well," he admitted.

"Amara Aquilla, my powers are the opposite of Bobby's," she said, "Can I borrow you're pencil?" Rondell handed her his pen, a moment later she returned a melted lump of aluminum.

"Berserker," Ray said snapping his fingers and letting off a crackle of energy as Rondell dug out a second pen.

"Jamie Maddox." Screwing up his face with a look of intent concentration Jamie waited for a gentle tap from Jean's telekinesis, they'd decided against any indications that some of the students couldn't control their abilities.

"Rahne Sinclair, when my powers first manifested I was hunted as a werewolf," the young girl send, changing form for a moment then switching back. "Do'na tell me witch hunts do'na happen in this day and age."

"Rogue, Ah touch people, they faint," she said brusquest. "An' Ah don't do demos."

"Fred Dukes, like Mr. McCoy said, what you see is what you get. This is Todd, he has a long tongue."

"What?" Rondell asked.

Todd glared up at the man for a moment then half-heartedly snagged a fly, not bothering to enjoy the look of revulsion on the officers' faces.

"You've seen the tapes, you've already called my parents, why bother with this!" Kitty said getting up and walking inside.

"May I speak with you?" Jensen asked Xavier leading him off to one side. "I couldn't help but notice a number of your students were absent."

"Yes, their parents felt they were too much of a target here and removed them from the school," Xavier said. "I'm afraid I must respect their parent's wishes and remain silent about them."

"In particular we were wondering about two of your recent transfer students: Pietro Maximoff and Lance Alvers. They were placed under you're guardianship after Ms. Darkholmes' negligence was brought to the state's attention," Jensen said.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken," Xavier replied. "Lance turned eighteen shortly before the students transferred here, he's legally an adult."

Jensen frowned. "Where are they?"

"Pietro fled during the attack. Given the current climate I was afraid of what might happen if the police were asked to find him, all it would take would be one bigot with a badge and they would most likely get away with murder since my students are incapable of disarming themselves and all mutants are currently being regarded as a threat." Xavier said coldly. "Lance Alvers was severely injured as a result of Trask's unprovoked attack on my students. There is little hope he will ever regain consciousness. And you wonder why my students feel threatened by your presence here. The only human casualties since mutants were revealed to the public have been killed by other humans who suspected them of being mutants. One of my students, a friend and classmate of the children you were just interrogating, lies close to death because of a giant robot created solely for the purpose of hunting and destroying mutants like themselves. Officer Jensen, who truly has more cause for fear? Humans or those children?"

"What are their powers?" Jensen asked.

"Pietro has enhanced reflexes. Lance was a telekinetic like Jean," Xavier said.

* * *

Rogue stared at the ringing phone willing the other person to give up and go away. She'd started screen calls almost from day one and this yahoo failed the test, hanging up as soon as the answering machine picked up. He was getting more persistent though the silent calls came on an almost hourly basis. Everyone was out and so it was an endurance match between Rogue and the caller.

The answering machine picked up. The line was disconnected with a click. The phone started ringing only a moment later. With a snarl Rogue snatched up the handset. "Ain't yah got anything better to do?" she demanded.

"Rogue?" a timid voice asked.

"Pietro!" Rogue exclaimed. "It's been you calling all this time?"

"Everyone-else-hates-me-right-I-thought-maybe-you'd-still-talk-to-me-I-had-to-do-it-he's-my-dad-and-Wanda-was-going-to-kill-him-I-just-warned-him-though-that-was-all-I-didn't-know-about-the-Sentinels-or-him-wanting-mutants-to-go-public-I-know-he's-a-jerk-and-I-shouldn't-care-but-he's-still-my-dad-and-do-you-hate-me?"

Rogue sighed, "Ah been in your head too much to hate yah," she said. "Ah saw him and I knew no matter what yah told yourself about him dumping yah, yah still cared what he thought of yah. And Ah know yah love Wanda too, you've never known what to do when yah get caught between the two of them. Ah understand too much to hate yah, or to be surprised."

"Thanks," Pietro whispered. "I saw Freddy on the news fighting Juggernaut with you guys, but is Todd okay and is Lance back from Scotland?"

"Todd ain't been injured," Rogue said slowly, stalling for time to think. In her mind's eye she saw Scott with dark circles under his eyes that even his glasses couldn't completely hide. She saw him pausing by the infirmary door when he thought no one was looking, staring at Lance with guilt written in every line of his body. Scott didn't even like Lance and all he'd done was let Lance make his own choices. "Lance hasn't gotten back yet," Rogue told Pietro.

"Oh," he replied. "How much do they hate me?"

Rogue remembered watching Kitty tear apart a simulacrum of Pietro in the danger room and winced. She thought about Freddy and Todd wandering the halls, nearly in shock, dazed by loss. She remembered Wanda's brief visits and the cold determination in the other girl's eyes as she talked of slaughtering her family. And she thought of Lance, who might as well be dead. "Ah don't think yah should come anywhere near here, or call anymore, just in case someone figures out it's yah," she said.

"Please, I really need to talk to someone," Pietro said.

Rogue closed her eyes for a moment. "Ah'll call yah," she said. "Give me the number."

On the other end of the line Pietro glanced around at Magneto's headquarters. "I-don't-think-that's-a-good-idea," he said. "Wait-a-minute." With that he set the phone down and dashed away. Two minutes later he was back. "Here-681-743-8670-that's-the-number-of-a-payphone-a-short-run-from-here."

"Slow down," Rogue commanded and Pietro repeated the number carefully pausing between each digit. "Can yah be there at six on Wednesday?" she asked.

"Sure no problem," Pietro said. "Can you talk now?"

"There's no one home to eaves drop," Rogue said.

"So, well, how's everyone doing, I saw the Institute on the news, what happened?" Pietro asked.

"It's crowded but things look worse than they are," Rogue told him. "We fixed up the below ground ourselves, lots of people figuring out practical aps for our powers, yah know how Mr. McCoy loves incorporating lessons into everyday."

"He's cool. What happened anyway? I didn't think the Sentinel got that far," Pietro said.

"Mystique set the place to self-destruct," Rogue said her voice turning a bit cold.

"Oh," Pietro said. "I-didn't-know-did-anyone-get-hurt?"

"Scotty got the New Mutants out, otherwise it would have been real bad," Rogue said. "And we're rebuilding."

"And your trip with Wolverine, how'd that go?" Pietro asked, mostly just wanting for her to keep on talking.

"It was a bust," Rogue sighed. "First your dad gets to the guy before we do, then we get captured by Trask. Fun and joy all around ya know."

"Who was it? I might have met them," Pietro said.

"A Cajun thief," Rogue said. "He was too busy flirtin' to give a name."

"Gambit," Pietro said frowning a little. "He-flirts-with-everyone-you-know. You shouldn't pay any attention to him, he even calls Colossus 'cher' 'cause it really annoys him."

"Just like you, huh Speedy?" Rogue laughed. "Don't worry, I told him I was taken… So what's life like as an A-list baddy?"

"Pretty dull actually. We spend a lot of time waiting for the opportune time and Dad still likes to hear himself talk. Gambit and Pyro and I play cards. They handcuff me to my chair so I can't look at their hands, no one in the Brotherhood ever figured out I run around the table and look at everyone's hands. It's not like they don't cheat too, but even Gambit doesn't do slight of hand good enough to stack the deck against me. I still think he's cheating though; he wins too much. Anyways Pyro writes and Colossus paints and Gambit and Sabretooth get to go out. I think Gambit picks up girls; you really wouldn't like him. I don't want to know what Sabretooth does. And I'm bored. Dad doesn't like me going out, he says I've got no sense of discretion, sometimes I go anyways, it's still boring. I-miss-you-and-everybody."

"Somebody just came home, I better go," Rogue said. "We'll talk Wednesday."

"Okay, Wednesday," Pietro said. "Bye, I'll be waiting for you to call."

* * *

Pietro disconnected and turned to see Gambit lounging in the doorway. "How long have you been here?" he demanded.

Gambit grinned. "Consortin' wit' de opposition, tsk-tsk… 'Course de opposition be a mighty lovely femme, I'd consort wit' her, if she gave me de chance."

"You-can't-touch-her, I-can. Our-powers-are-made-to-go-together. So you just forget about her." Pietro exclaimed.

"Damn yo're easy to rile," Gambit laughed. "Dat's what I like 'bout yo' 'Silver."

"You're not going to tell Dad about me calling her?" Pietro asked, suddenly worried.

Gambit strolled in, took a seat at the consol and altered the call logs with a few casual keystrokes. "I been coverin' your calls to de X-Men since de beginnin', it hardly be in m' bes' interest to bring dat little detail to Magneto's 'ttention."

"What? You? Why?" Pietro stammered.

" 'Silver-kid someone needs to look out for yo'."

"And you're just helping me out of the goodness of your heart?" Pietro snapped.

" 'M a demon, I have no heart," Gambit said with a shrug and walked off.

* * *

Kitty hovered in the doorway of the room Jean was sharing with Amara and Ororo.

"Kitty," Jean greeted the younger girl with a sympathetic smile. "Is there something I can help with or did you want to talk?"

Kitty swallowed then plunged in. "You were pretty much carrying Lance for most of the rescue weren't you? With your telekinesis I mean, but he was still there for a long time, conscious right. It was when he saw Beast carrying me that he went under the last time wasn't it."

"Kitty, where'd you hear that?" Jean asked.

"Scott's not the only one who isn't sleeping so good," Kitty said. "I watched his recreation of the rescue."

"Oh," Jean replied. "Kitty, don't think about it like that."

"Like what Jean?" Kitty demanded angrily. "Tell me what I'm thinking!"

"That Lance would be okay if you hadn't gotten captured," Jean said bluntly. "It's not true, he still would have gone after Todd and Fred. And… I don't know how he held on as long as he did. It wouldn't have mattered if we'd found you up and ready to break out or dead, Lance still would have gone into the coma."

Kitty sat down on Jean's bed, pulling her knees up to her chest "I wish I hadn't been sedated," she said. "That way Lance would know he saved me. Dr. MacTaggart says people in comas can still hear stuff. I tell him how grateful I am and that I miss him and really want him to wake up, but I don't know… I wish… I wish… I'd told him I love him before…"

Jean looked at the younger girl. "I could tell him for you," she offered impulsively. "If talking is good, he should really hear a telepath right?"


	14. Forbidden Love

Pietro paced a tight circuit around the phone booth. When it finally rang he answered before the second note of the chime sounded.

"Rogue?" he asked.

"Quickie, yah don't sound so good," Rogue said with concern.

"I wanna come home," he said. "Dad despises me, Sabretooth thinks I'm a play thing, Pyro and Colossus ignore me and Gambit feels sorry from me. Please, I want to go home. They'll forgive me right? It's been forever."

"Forever and a day," Rogue thought to herself. "But Lance ain't woke up. If you come back here you're gonna know it, Pietro. I won't be able to protect yah and you're gonna be hurtin' a lot worse if yah find out what all's happened. That's assuming no one kills yah outright."

"People are still pretty mad," Rogue warned. "Hang on a while longer, give 'em time to cool down. Plus your sister's been around. The prof thinks she's focused enough to be safe. You and your dad are the only ones she's looking to hurt. He thinks maybe being out in the world will be good for her. That she'll eventually notice there's more to life than hate. Anybody with eyes can see that day's gonna be a long ways off. Yah probably wanna steer clear of her and that means staying away from here."

Pietro sighed. "I want to see you. I can be there in a minute, no one will notice. Please?"

"Okay, Ah'm calling from the school office," Rogue said.

"Be-there-in-a-minute, love-you," Pietro said hanging up.

A gust of wind announced Pietro's arrival and for a moment Rogue just stared at him.

Hyper was the norm for Pietro but the jittery, nervous edge to his fidgeting was new and Rogue saw several sets of angry looking claw marks on his exposed skin. Hesitantly she reached out to cup his cheek. "What happened?" she asked.

"Told-you, I'm-Sabretooth's-toy," He said bitterly. "I-irritated-him-and-ended-up-getting-rescued. Dad's-ashamed-of-me. So-I-have-to-spar-with-him-till-I-win. The-work-out-room's-too-small, I-get-cornered. Dad-stops-him-if-he-gets-carried-away." Pietro glared at the shallow cuts on his arms. "These-are-just-playing. Dad-hates-that-I-can't-take-care-of-myself. I-hate-being-there. I miss everyone.

Rogue pulled him into a hug, letting her hair be a shield as she fit her head against the curve of his neck. Pietro sighed, a measure of tension going out of him as his arms closed around her.

After a moment he pulled away a little and when Rogue glanced up at him, he leaned down to kiss her.

Rogue shivered at the feel of his lips against hers, at the intoxicating rush of his powers, at the need to be close, to be loved pouring through him.

"We shouldn't," she said, sounding breathless. "This… the professor'll know, and… and… it feels dangerous right now."

"Okay, no touching," Pietro sighed.

Rogue guided him back toward a window seat. "No skin on skin," She said, encouraging him to lay back with his head in her lap. "We'll just sit together."

She ran her fingers through his hair and her gloves were just in the way, a clumsy, annoying barrier and it wasn't like it would hurt, she was just touching his hair. So Rogue stripped them off.

Pietro's hair was like velvet against her skin and she could feel the heat coming off his skin and the way his body relaxed under her ministrations and if occasionally her fingers strayed too close to his scalp and she would feel the first hint of his essence tumbling into hers, her reflexes were now fast enough for her to pull back before any real harm was done.

And those little brushes were fascinating. Rogue knew exactly how much physical contact meant to Pietro, how much he craved it and it wasn't even sexual just now. After weeks of isolation and feeling shut out, pushed away, looked down on by his father, any sort of closeness, affection was a balm to his soul.

Rogue had never been one to touch, even before her powers manifested. It was like Irene had known what Rogue would become, her affection had been real, but rarely expressed physically and Rogue grew up holding herself apart because Irene had raised her to be extremely reserved when it came to touch.

Remembering Pietro's memories of almost constant rough housing with the rest of the Brotherhood, never really thought about at the time but sorely missed now when it was gone, Rogue understood physically expressing affection for the first time. She saw the other side of physical contact as well, because it was easy for Pietro to end up in fights with the Acolytes as well; he was several years younger chronologically and he was irritating. They had no tolerance for the flitting hummingbird speed of his thoughts, words and movements, where the members of the Brotherhood had accepted Pietro being Pietro, they didn't, and when they struck out at him it was meant to hurt, to bruise, to burn, to push him away.

And the pity in Gambit hurt worse in some ways than the brutal impatience the others showed him. Besides Gambit wasn't exactly sane and sure, occasionally there was untainted affection in their interactions, when fire and pitch eyes looked through him and saw someone else.

Maybe her fingers lingered a touch longer than before despite enhanced reflexes, trying to offer desperately needed comfort. And with longer contact came deeper thoughts, things beneath the surface that Pietro tried not to think. He was scare all the time. "Run Mousy." Sabretooth didn't mind refraining from deeper hurts, at the moment. He knew most of the nerves were near the surface and did the man ever wash? Every scratch got infected and they burned, constant reminders of how vulnerable he was. The base's cramped layout meant there was never enough room to put his powers to effective use. Not for long, there were just too many corners to avoid them all. Sabretooth could smell fear and loved it the same way he loved the black hatred Gambit radiated when they were together.

"Run Mousy," because what else could he do? Sabretooth was more the big cat he named himself than a human being and he shrugged off almost every injury like it was nothing. He was always there, and touch wasn't always a good thing because it hurt. And if Pietro relaxed his guard even a little, powerful, clawed hands were closing on him, reminding him he could die before his father bothered to intervene. And if he were too useless would Magneto bother to intervene?

But when touch was good it was magical, everything Rogue had imagined it to be since learning she'd be deny it. Along with the surges of memory Pietro's need for closeness was transmitted to Rogue and translated through her own experiences to become her need for the sort of contact she was denied.

Rogue jerked back with a gasp, suddenly realizing just how long her bare fingers had been resting against the side of Pietro's face.

"What?" he asked his voice dazed.

"Ah… that was too long," Rogue stammered nervously.

Pietro sat up, leaning over her. "We weren't paying attention," he said smiling a little.

"Gawd, we have to be the only couple who can get in more trouble just relaxing together than if we'd been making out," Rogue said shaking her head.

"Does that mean we ought to be making out?" Pietro asked stealing a kiss. Arguing with that just seemed stupid so Rogue didn't.

Because Pietro was right, they did need to pay attention. Be aware, hyper aware of their bodies, of the first stirrings of Rogue's mutant ability so they could break apart, even when that was the last thing desired. They pushed the moment of contact to the edge of safe, ignoring the faint flutter in their stomachs that said they didn't have the first clue as to what safe really was. Less now than ever because they knew Rogue could loose herself as well.

Lips touching against lips, warm, silken, parting slightly, the faintest taste of the other's mouth. Innocent kisses, but forbidden and not exactly safe, like a roller coaster, hearts racing, breath coming faster.

Hands touched bodies, skimming over clothes. Wishing clothes could be removed. Resisting temptation because hands needed somewhere to rest, needed something to do while mouths had to be parted.

Leaning across her felt awkward. He needed a hand braced against the window frame to hold his balance. Catching the thought tumbling into her head, Rogue turned toward him, making it the most natural thing in the world for Pietro to slide one leg over hers. The sudden intimacy of his body over hers surprised both, but her power was quiet again and they could kiss.

And it was a joy to focus completely on the moment at hand, to run the razor's edge between safe and not safe, because there was no room to think about friends betrayed and lost, no room to remember costly victories and well-intentioned lies.

Pietro's hands tilted Rogue's head back, cradling her face as he kissed her deeply, pulling away only when he was near fainting from her power. "We gotta stop," he sighed pulling away. "Tonight I don't want to let go."

Rogue nodded, a little bit shaky herself, her breathing ragged. "It's getting hard not to want to go too far," she admitted. "We really shouldn't do this."

"I wouldn't go that far," Pietro said giving her a quick smile. He stood up, swaying dizzily.

Rogue jumped to her feet to steady him. "Ah better walk yah home," she said.

"No," Pietro cried. "What if Sabretooth sees you? I'll be fine, just give me a minute."

"You're sure?" Rogue asked.

Pietro darted to the door and back. "See I'm fine," he said.

"Okay, do yah want me to call or should we just get together?" Rogue asked.

"Too bad you couldn't just keep my power," Pietro said. "We could meet easy then. You want to go to a movie Friday?"

"Yeah," Rogue said grinning. "That'll be like our first normal date."

"What, being pursued by the cops across three different states doesn't count as a real date, I'm wounded." Pietro said theatrically.

"That's not a date, that's a committed relationship, as in we both ought to be committed," Rogue laughed. "Ah guess it's a good thing we found each other, since Ah can't imagine either of us fittin' with anyone else. I'll see yah Friday."

"Yeah Friday," Pietro said grinning. After Rogue left he slumped against the wall. "I really shouldn't have kissed her that last time," he muttered to himself. "Maybe a little nap before I head back."

* * *

At the Institute's gates Rogue forced herself to slow to a walk. She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for the elevator.

"Out on a date?" a voice tense with anger asked.

Rogue jumped, "Wanda!" she exclaimed, her voice an octave above normal. "What are you doing here?"

"Crashing," Wanda said studying Rogue critically. "Magneto and my snake of a brother have done a thorough job of burying themselves. You haven't seen Pietro recently?"

Rogue swallowed and clamped down even harder on the urge to fidget under Wanda's hostile gaze. She reminded herself it was Pietro not her who found Wanda's simple presence nerve wracking. She told herself the elevator was only taking a half-minute or so to arrive not hours even if it felt that long. She forced herself to stand utterly still because she wasn't Pietro and she didn't really have much practice at limiting herself to human speeds while her body was screaming to be allowed to move naturally. If she moved she just knew she'd give herself away by be too fast.

Finally the elevator arrived and an eternity later it deposited them in the Institute's underground complex. Rogue walked toward her room, forcing herself to make each step take long enough for her to count to fifty before the stride ended. She turned the corner then raced to her room.

Wanda stood outside of the elevator a dark smile on her face as she listened to the impossibly rapid patter of the other girl's footsteps fading in the distance.

* * *

Hank walked down the hall quietly knocking on the doors on the left hand side.

Jamie wandered out from his room, "Breakfast?" he asked hopefully.

"First shift," Beast said. "Ororo and Evan are making pancakes. Do try to keep the noise down for everyone taking the second shift."

"Are they ever going to finish fixing the upstairs?" Jamie sighed. "I mean three to room isn't bad as long as no one bumps me and eating in shifts is okay, but we really need another bathroom, the girls take forever."

"Undeniably," Beast sighed. "The construction workers are going as fast as humanly possible."

"Because no matter how much the Professor is paying them they can't wait to get away from here," Kitty said bitterly joining the pair in the hall.

"If it expedites the acquisition of adequate restroom facilities…" Beast suggested cheerfully.

Kitty walked past him to the kitchen. Ororo and Evan were arguing happily about a family recipe. Wanda sat at the table looking disgruntled, a pile of blankets in the corner indicating where she'd spent the night.

"Hey Wanda," Kitty greeted the girl. "Any luck killing your brother?"

"I have a lead," Wanda replied. "But Magneto comes first."

"Well if you need any help with that…" Kitty offered.

"Kitty!" Ororo reprimanded.

"We all know he deserves it," Kitty declared. "If he'd just told us…"

"Pietro's actions were wrong," Ororo said. "However, he could not have known what the consequences would be."

"Right Auntie O," Evan said sarcastically. "He betrayed his closest friends to a head case like Magneto, he didn't mean for anything bad to happen. Betraying friends and teammates is sort of a pattern with Maximoff."

The conversation cut off abruptly at the sound of Fred's heavy footsteps approaching. The large mutant paused in the doorway for a moment glancing around cautiously. As Todd wandered past him Fred caught the younger boy's shoulder and pulled him back into the hall. With a sigh Wanda got up and moved away from the door.

"Hey Fred, Todd," Kitty said.

"Morning Kitty," Fred replied.

"Todd, how did you sleep?" Ororo asked attempting to draw the slight teen into a conversation.

Todd glanced up at the sound of his name. Ororo smiled encouragingly. Todd shrugged taking the seat beside Kitty. She reached out to clasp his shoulder for a moment, winning a brief smile.

Fred took the seat on Todd's other side. "So what are we doing today?" he asked.

"We were planning on starting work on the grounds," Ororo said. "I believe Jamie could use some assistance painting the perimeter wall.

"Out by the road?" Fred said sounding uncertain then he scowled. "Why bother, there'll be new graffiti before the paint dries."

"Alright," Ororo sighed. "How about the two of you help Samuel replanting trees, you'll be further in on the grounds. I do want the two of you to spend the day outside. You are both looking so pale."

"Alright," Fred agreed.

"Can I squeeze in?" Rahne asked Kitty as she joined them for breakfast. Kitty made a place for the younger girl between herself and Todd a moment later a number of other students piled into the kitchen.

* * *

Rogue glared at the slim pickings in the closet she, Kitty and Rahne shared. Shopping for anything beyond the necessities hadn't been high on anyone's to do list. "Wouldn't yah know it, mah first official date and Ah really don't have a thing to wear." Rogue wanted to laugh at herself, one little date and she was as bad as Jean.

"Come on girl, just put something on. You can hardly go naked now can yah?"

Wanda grinned as she watched Rogue slip out of her room. "Finally," she murmured to herself following after the Goth-girl.

Rogue grinned a little as she walked past Wolverine's motorcycle. She traced a finger over the handlebars looking at the speedometer. "No," she told herself. "Ah'm going on a date, not looking for trouble."

Pietro was waiting for her outside the theatre. "Hey gorgeous," he said leaning in to kiss her.

Rogue stopped him pressing a hand to his chest. "Not yet," she laughed. "Yah do that now and there's no way Ah'll be able to sit through a two hour movie, Ah don't have your patience."

Pietro chuckled. "That's one thing I never expected to hear," he admitted.

Rogue wrapped an arm around his waist. "Well when we're on equal footing it's the truth sugah. So what are we watching?"

"I'm choosing?" Pietro asked.

"Or we could just go to whatever's starting," Rogue amended.

"I'm buying," Pietro volunteered. "I swiped some cash from Sabretooth on the way out. He'll-blame-Gambit-but-that's-okay. They'd-happily-kill-each-other-over-who-gets-what-seat-at-dinner."

Rogue gave Pietro a disbelieving stare.

"It's true, you don't live with them; they all hate each other. Well, Colossus hates all of us and Dad hates me and Gambit hates Sabretooth and Sabretooth is a big psycho who gets off on hurting people," Pietro insisted.

"You're looking a little less beat up than you were," Rogue said. "Maybe something's getting better."

"I carry knives now," Pietro said quietly. "Even Sabretooth takes a few minutes to get over having his throat slit."

Rogue looked a little shocked but she swallowed and just said. "Yah do what ever ya gotta do."

"Isn't that sweet?" Wanda said her voice saccharine. "Such an understanding girlfriend. I wonder if she'd be so understanding if she could touch anyone else."

Pietro pulled Rogue behind him, superstitiously brushing a hand across her cheek as he did so. "Hi-Wanda-look-I'm-sorry-but-I-couldn't-let-you-kill-Dad."

"So forgiving," Wanda continued poisonously. "Even when you killed her roommate's boyfriend… oh right, Lance was your friend too wasn't he?"

Pietro's mouth dropped open. "No," he protested. "Lance is in Scotland."

Wanda lashed out with a hex bolt. Rogue dodged it easily. Pietro simply stood there. "You're lying," he said as the bolt struck him.

Rogue tried to use the speed Pietro had gifted her with to get close enough to touch Wanda but at the last moment the dark haired girl created a broad-spectrum bolt, hexing half the room to get at Rogue.

Helpless to control her feet Rogue and a large number of objects in the lobby turned and fled the theatre, along with panicked patrons.

Rogue looked over her should as her feet drug her way and saw Pietro, trapped in a phone booth, tossed at the feet of several police officers who'd responded to the disturbance.

As soon as Wanda's hex worn off Rogue turned her feet toward the Institute, but Pietro's powers wore off long before she reached the gates. Still she kept running, pushing herself as fast as she could.

She found Fred and Todd in front of the TV. "Guys, Pietro just got arrested, we've gotta help him."

Fred kept flipping channels. "Why?" He said. "Quicksilver made his choice, let Magneto help him."

"Magneto won't help him," Rogue yelled. "He doesn't give a damn. Yah know the government's still looking for mutant terrorists. They'll lock him up forever just cause he's a mutant and they got an excuse. And yah know Quicksilver'll go nuts in a week… It's Pietro, yah gotta help him."

"No," Fred said.

"Wait." Both Fred and Rogue turned to stare at Todd in shock. The sandy haired boy's voice was ragged from weeks of disuse but his expression was determined. "We're not… he's still Quickie, even if he did… I hate… Can you imagine Pietro in a cage? He'd just die."

"So what do we do?" Fred asked.

"Ah guess we break him out of jail," Rogue said. "Freddy can yah… how strong are yah?"

"I don't know," Fred replied shrugging. "If we needed a wall knocked down Lance always took care of it."

"Okay, I'll get Kitty or Kurt or maybe Scott," Rogue sighed.

"Kitty'd only help if she got to wring his neck afterwards," Fred pointed out sounding like he was in agreement with her sediments.

"Ah wasn't talking about getting their help that way," Rogue replied. "Ah don't think any of them think Pietro's worth bothering with."

"That's the problem with being a traitor ain't it?" Fred said bitterly. "If Todd says we save him, I'm in. It don't mean I forgive him."

"Well spoken," Wanda remarked. "So you're going to save my worthless brother. You'd better hurry, they've already got a military convoy together. They're taking him away tonight."

"Why should we believe yah, it's all your fault," Rogue spat.

"As I told Pryde, Magneto comes first," Wanda said. "Save Pietro if you like. I've sent my message to father."

"Get ready to go," Rogue told Toad and Blob. "I've got to borrow something."


	15. Conflicted Loyalties

Rogue wandered the Institute's predominately empty corridors. "Where is everyone!" she exclaimed.

Rahne stuck her head out of their room. "Scott and Jean went on a date. Most everyone else decided to tag-along and harass them."

"What is this? Grade school?" Rogue demanded irritably.

"It's not like there's anything else to do around here, plus Jean swore up and down that it wasn't a date," Rahne explained. "I would have gone, but well, I… um… Todd didn't go of course, Fred doesn't like him out where he might get hurt you know, Todd's all he's got left, and… um… well… I thought we could do something… but I haven't thought of anything yet… or how to ask him, I mean them…"

"Oh, thanks Rahne," Rogue said sounding surprised, but still in a rush as she broke away from the younger girl.

"Ah've got to break down a wall or stop a truck," she muttered under her breath. "And Rahne's the only one home…" Rogue trailed off. "Oh no, I'm not thinking this."

Rogue spent several more minutes searching for someone with powers she could use before finding herself standing outside the infirmary.

Glancing up and down the hall she darted inside. "Hi Moira," she said, hiding a bare hand in her pocket as she went to stand beside Lance's bed. The doctor barely glanced up from the journal she was reading to wave Rogue inside.

To herself she thought, "I'm sorry Lance, I hope to Gawd this doesn't hurt you, but most everyone talks about yah like yah're already dead and Ah'm not losing Pietro."

Biting her lip to make sure she didn't make any noise that would draw Moira's attention, Rogue reached out and touched the back of Lance's hand. To her surprise there was no flood of memories and thoughts, no resistance from another personality fighting to maintain control, only an easy flow as his powers were transferred to her like water being poured into a glass.

* * *

Kurt appeared in a poof of smoke along with Kitty at the Institute's front gate. "You're certain you vant to come home already?" he asked. "I though ve vere having fun?"

"Embarrassing Scott and Jean? Oh yeah, that's a real blast," Kitty said. "I never should have come, this was stupid."

Kurt sighed, "You never want to go out anymore."

"And do what? Get stared at by people who think we're freaks? Get called names? That's ton's of fun isn't it?" Kitty said sarcastically.

"All right Kitty," Kurt said sadly. "Goodnight."

Kitty took the elevator downstairs and started toward the infirmary only to duck into a closet as she saw Todd and Fred leaving their room wearing their battle gear.

"They're going to rescue my brother," Wanda said, and Kitty jumped at the realization that the closet she'd phased into wasn't empty. "Do you want to tag along?"

"Oh yeah," Kitty replied darkly, not even caring what Pietro might need rescuing from.

They watched as Rogue joined the two boys and the three of them piled into Lance's jeep. Wanda looked around the Institute's garage then snapped her fingers. Wolverine's motorcycle came to her like a dog coming to heel.

Kitty hesitated for a moment at the idea of 'borrowing' Logan's bike.

"Having second thoughts?" Wanda demanded.

"No," Kitty said climbing on behind the other girl. "Let's go."

* * *

"So where do we go," Fred asked sullenly.

"The road south, that's where they'd be if Wanda was telling the truth. If she was lying a night in jail won't kill him," Rogue said.

"If they do come how are we supposed to stop a convoy anyway?" Fred asked.

"Let me take care of that," Rogue said as he pulled the jeep off the road and the trio climbed up the hill to a ledge over looking the narrow road.

Wanda parked the motorcycle several yards back from where Lance's jeep had been left behind. She and Kitty stealthily crept closer to the other three's position

Not long after Rogue, Toad and Blob began their vigil several motorcycles, escorting a military prison transport roared along the winding road.

"Be ready," Rogue warned clenching her fists.

As the ground started shaking Kitty jumped up, "Rogue, what did you do?" she demanded running toward her friend.

In the prisoner transport Pietro ricocheted from one wall to another in excitement. "Lance!-You're-not-dead!-I-knew-it!"

Toad and Blob scrambled further up the hill as cracks radiated out from where Rogue knelt and the face of the hill became a mass of landslides.

"Make it stop!" Rogue screamed.

The ground beneath the truck where Pietro was trapped began to crumble. "Lance-cut-it-out!" Pietro yelled.

As the quake worsened the soldiers charged with transporting Pietro broke ranks and ran.

Kitty hesitated seeing the truck starting to slide into a newly formed crevasse that stretched across the road.

"Get me out of here!" Pietro yelled.

"I can't control it," Rogue screamed pressing her hands to her head.

Kitty took a running leap, diving through the side of the truck.

"If it were just about you, I'd let you die," Kitty said grabbing Pietro's hand and phasing them back through the side of the truck to jump safely to as the truck fell into the abyss. "But Rogue would blame herself."

"Why isn't Lance stopping?" Pietro asked as another tremor sent them to their knees.

Kitty punched him. "It's not Lance you bastard, it's Rogue."

Pietro scrambled to his feet and started toward the source of the earthquake.

Up above Wanda jumped a fissure, working her way closer to Rogue. She used a hex bolt to cut off Rogue's borrowed powers. Rogue slumped to the ground, unconscious.

"Take her, go home," Wanda ordered Fred and Todd.

"Rogue!" Pietro exclaimed dashing to her side.

Fred picked her up and stepped back glaring at Pietro. "You're not wanted here," he told the silver haired boy.

Pietro flinched, "Guys?" he asked.

"I didn't want you to get hurt," Todd said quietly. "But you can take care of yourself now."

"Right," Kitty said joining them. "Go back to Magneto, it's where you chose to be." She started walking back towards the jeep; Fred and Todd followed her, leaving Pietro standing in the middle of the road staring after them with hurt eyes.

"Well brother," Wanda said perching on an outcropping of rock. "You betrayed your friends to save Magneto and it's still them who come to your rescue, not him. How does that make you feel?"

"You said I killed Lance," Pietro's voice caught, begging her to tell him she'd lied.

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" Wanda asked. "Your little girlfriend's display was a big clue. I'm sure you knew Avalanche wasn't supposed to use his powers, but because of you his friends were taken captive, and unlike you Avalanche is loyal to the people he cares about. He helped save them and now he's in a coma. They're all just waiting for him to die, because of what you did, all for Father. You know he doesn't care about you. You know what he is. I staged this little event to open your damn, self-deluded eyes, Pietro!"

"What do you mean?"

"Magneto doesn't deserve your loyalty. I want you to prove yourself. He's going to die, you don't have to." With a flick of her wrist Wanda called a piece of the wreckage from the prisoner transport that had almost become Pietro's coffin. It hung between the twins, under the prompting of Wanda's power the metal reshaped itself into a wicked-looking dagger. "I care about you Pietro, brother, but I can't trust you, not until you prove yourself. Magneto would never even realize what was happening until he was already dead."

Pietro stepped back putting his hands behind his back. "I don't want to kill my dad."

"Don't you want revenge for Lance?" Wanda asked. "You betrayed them but Magneto could have taken your information and simply hidden himself. That was all you wanted wasn't it, to warn him against me. You didn't tell him to turn your information against your friends. And Father has so much power. He could have saved them. It didn't have to be Lance. But he didn't care did he? Not that they were mutants, not even that they were your friends. Lance wouldn't have had to die, if Father loved you."

"Lance isn't dead!" Pietro exclaimed. "You said he's not."

"He's as good as dead!" Wanda pushed. "Their doctor just sits there and waits, because she can't help him."

"That-witch!" Pietro ran to Wanda, his voice excited. "Your-friend-she-could-heal-Lance, like-she-healed-my-ribs!"

"Maybe," Wanda said. "I'll ask her to try… when I hear Magneto is dead."

* * *

"Hey Todd," Fred said.

"Yo," Todd said quietly.

"You're talking again, I just wanted to check," Fred said.

"Yeah," Todd replied. "Pretending everything was gonna be fine wasn't worth watching Pietro get hurt."

"Ohhhh., what happened?" Rogue groaned regaining consciousness.

"Lance's powers, ring a bell?" Kitty asked harshly.

"Oh yeah," Rogue said guiltily. "I couldn't find anyone else."

Rogue found herself on the receiving end of three angry glares. After a few minutes Kitty sighed. "What went wrong?" she asked.

"Ah don't rightly know," Rogue said. "Ah mean once Ah got used to mah powers Ah haven't had any trouble dealing with the powers Ah borrow, but Ah wasn't in control. This was different, Lance's power was there all right but Ah didn't have a clue as to how to use it. Oh, mah head…"

Kitty sighed, "We're going to tell Dr. MacTaggart."

"Why?" Rogue asked. "We'll just get in trouble."

"Because you used Lance's powers," Todd said sadly. "They might have hurt you too."

* * *

"S' how was your date?" Gambit started to ask as he walked into Pietro's quarters then broke off.

Pietro sat on the edge of his bed, staring blankly at the opposite wall, rocking back and forth, a dagger clasped loosely between his hands.

Hoping the teen was as out of it as he looked Gambit ghosted across the room and with the skill of a consummate pickpocket he tried to liberate the dagger. Against anyone else it would have worked, but as Pietro felt the knife slipping out of his hand his fingers clenched on it with a speed Gambit couldn't match. He clung to it with a desperate strength as if it were his sole lifeline, cringing away from Gambit.

The thief immediately backed off. "Easy Silver-kid, easy. I don' mean no harm. What 'xactly be goin' through your head?"

"It's like being trapped between a hurricane and a granite wall," Pietro said, his eyes wild. "They're not people, they're forces of nature. She says kill Dad, like it's nothing, I can't. It's not even that I don't want to, I would, for Lance I would. I have to after what I did. I can't, he's Magneto, doesn't she understand that? Well why would she? She's just like him. I'm not. My power isn't like theirs, I'm not like them." Pietro paused looking down at the floor. "It's not just power, even if they weren't mutants Magneto would still be totally unyielding, Wanda would still be rage incarnate and I'd still just be me."

"Silver-kid, lets jus' slow down a bit… and go somewhere not here for dis petite talk." Gambit said urging Pietro to follow him. He led the younger mutant to a quiet spot outside of the base and away from prying eyes. " 'Kay, now tell me why yo' got to kill your Daddy?" he asked.

Pietro took a deep breath, "Because-I-got-Lance-hurt-everyone-hates-me-and-Wanda-won't-help-him-'less-I-do."

"A'right, lets t'ink dis through, Silver," Gambit said. "Wanda, she's your sister, non? Mais de only reason yo're t'inkin' 'bout doin' what she wants is to make amends with your friends?"

"She's-right-I-shouldn't-care-about-Dad, he's-a-jerk," Pietro said.

"He's still your pere," Gambit said with a shrug dismissing Pietro's feelings for his father as something that went without saying. "Could someone else help your friend?"

"I don't know how to get in contact with a real witch," Pietro exclaimed impatiently. "Doing what Wanda wants is the only way to fix things!"

"What do yo' want wit' a witch?" Gambit asked.

"Well-the-doctor-can't-fix-Lance-and-Agnes-healed-me-just-like-that-so-I-thought-maybe-she-could-help," Pietro explained in a burst, then repeated himself more slowly so Gambit could understand.

"Yo're really not t'inkin' at all Silver-kid," Gambit said shaking his head. "Yo' got no promise dis woman can help or dat she will even if she's asked. Yo' haven't even t'ought dere might be a way 'round your sister, I t'ink yo' be gettin' way 'head of yourself here mon ami."

"Well if you're so smart, tell me what to do!" Pietro demanded.

"Mon Tante is a Traiteur, a mystical healer," Gambit said. "Yo' don' try to kill Magneto an' I call her. I nevah seen nothin' she can't heal if she can't help it tain't likely your sister's witch would be able to do more."

"Why would you?" Pietro asked.

"Mais I don' want yo' tryin' to kill Magneto and mebbe I like yo'. It don' hurt me none to help," Gambit said. " 'Sides I don' mind havin' 'xcuses to talk to Tante Mattie 'gain."

* * *

Moira frowned at the latest set of readings she'd taken from Rogue.

"Is something wrong?" Xavier asked. "I thought Rogue's body was naturally relieving the build up of fluids as Avalanche's powers wore off?"

"It was," Moira replied handing him the printouts. "Are you sure the information on Rogue's powers is correct?"

"Quiet certain. Why?" Xavier asked.

"The calculations never worked out and Rogue stopped improving altogether after the last of Lance's power were out of her system," Moira explained.

"Then perhaps our initial premise was flawed," McCoy said. "Perhaps it was an aspect of Lance's powers that caused the improvements."

"No, that doesna make sense. Lance's body didna heal itself," Moira disagreed.

McCoy raised an eyebrow. "According to your predictions it should have taken a week for Rogue to return to normal, we've speculated that the severity of the earthquake created is proportional to the amount of fluid built up…"

"It seems logical, if the severity of hydrocephalus we saw in Rogue was normal after only an hour, Lance would have died within the first month of his power's immergence," Moira said.

"Exactly, but irregardless of the size of the seismic disturbance…"

"The earthquake report!" Moira exclaimed, as illumination struck her. "Lance used his powers on a daily basis, he never gave himself a chance to recover. He overwhelmed his body's natural mechanisms for coping with his powers."

"Could it really have been that simple?" Xavier asked, speaking to himself. "Could all this tragedy have been avoided if we'd tried to help Lance before his initial collapse?"

Hank sighed, "Charles, Lance never asked for help with his powers, never told you they caused him physical injury."

"No, but if he'd been here… Kitty and his friends were apparently all concerned by his consumption of painkillers well before he reached the break point. And he did try to join us, to be with Kitty yes, but if I'd handled that better, if he'd stayed long enough for one of us to ascertain the problem…"

"Bemoaning what should've been done is of no use now," Moira said tersely.

* * *

"Ding-Dong." All over the Institute people stopped what they were doing and looked up in disbelief at the sound of the doorbell.

"Ten to one they're going to run away," Evan said.

The doorbell rang again.

"So should ve answer it?" Kurt wondered.

"If they're ringing the bell it can't be too bad," Jean said going the elevator.

"Bonjour petite," an old, dark-skinned woman said smiling calmly. "I be Mattie Baptiste."

"Um hello Ms. Baptiste," Jean stammered.

"Call me Tante Mattie, everyone else does chile."

"Is there someone you wanted to see?" Jean asked, bewildered.

"Mon Remy asked me to look in on a Lance Alvers," Mattie said drawing shocked stares. "I've a gift of healing, he thought it might prove helpful."

"But we don't know any Remy," Jean said frowning in confusion.

"How do you know about Lance?" Kitty demanded.

"Could you really help?" Todd asked.

"Remy did mention dat he'd not be able to warn yo' of m' coming," Mattie said. "Mais he trusted I could make m' own introductions. Be there someone I ought to talk wit'?"

"I'll get the Professor," Jean volunteered.

"And us," Fred declared including Todd and Kitty in his statement with a glance.

A short while later the three of them, along with Professor Xavier and Dr. MacTaggart were settled around the kitchen table to hear Mattie Baptiste's story.

"Are you aware that you are a mutant?" Xavier asked the woman.

Mattie laughed, "Heard 'bout such t'ings on de news, mais no one evah accused me of such foolishness 'fore now. De good Lord and de Spirits gifted me wit' de ability to heal, dat be all."

"How do you know about Lance?" Kitty reiterated fiercely.

"Mon cher Remy," Mattie replied. "Alt'ough yo' may know him bettah as Gambit."

"Ain't that one of Magneto's new guys?" Fred asked recalling a name shouted in during the battle the preceded the Sentinel attack.

Mattie made a distasteful face, "Oui, dat boy has an unmatched talent for findin' trouble. Mais he seemed more hisself when he called dan he's been since Etienne, his cousin, was murdered, s' mebbe dis Magneto ain't all bad. Remy be worried dat his mon ami, what's de name… 'Silver? Be worked up into quite de state. From what dis 'Silver says yo've all done give up hope for Lance, thus it'll do no harm to 'llow me to try m' gifts."

"You'll excuse me if I'm a bit skeptical," Xavier said. "You came all this way as a favor to a friend of a friend of a friend, it seems rather extraordinary."

Mattie sighed. "I all but raised Remy and dis is de first time in near four years he's shown de slightest sign of concern or carin' for another. I'd happily go to much greater lengths dan dis to see Remy come back to his true self."

"Silver? She means Quickie!" Todd exclaimed. "I knew he didn't really turn on us."

"Professor?" Kitty asked uncertainly. He looked to Moira.

"She's right in thinking there isna a thing I can do," Moira sighed. "Kitty, you walk through walls unhindered, I can barely even define Wanda's powers perhaps she can help where my science has failed."


	16. Hope Dawning

Moira watched with discomfort as the infirmary she'd come to think of as her own was transformed into something out of a movie. She reminded herself that while Charles assured her that Mattie Baptiste's powers were mutant in origin the woman herself believed they came to her through her beliefs, which seemed rooted in an odd mix of Voodoo and Catholicism. And so Moira said nothing as the lights were turned off and candles were lit and as the smell of the herbs Mattie had hung overwhelmed the antiseptic smell of the med-lab. Moira held her tongue and kept her expression neutral as Mattie disconnected the various pieces of equipment monitoring Lance's condition, but when the Cajun healer went to remove the ventilator tube she had to protest. "You can't, he'll die!" Moira exclaimed.

"I read your notes," Mattie disagreed. "Yo' put dis t'ing in 'cause he was breathin' poorly an' yo' couldn' risk any further damage from oxygen deprivation, yo' left it in because he didn' wake an' dese t'ings can be frightful hard to get in when yo' really need dem. B'yond dat yo' had him stable an' feared any new shock might set off another seizure. Yo' don' believe in m' ways and I don' hold much wit' yours neither mais at least I know somet'ing of yours." Mattie turned to Lance patting him gently on the cheek. "Yo'll breathe for me won' yo' cher? I don' blame yo' a bit for not wantin' back wit' all dis muck and such about yo'."

Moira stared as she saw a faint glow pass from Mattie's hand to Lance then Xavier intervened telepathically. /Let her do as she wishes,/ he projected.

Moira bit her lip and held her breath as Mattie eased the respirator from Lance's throat. He exhaled then, after a terrifyingly long moment, drew a breath. Moira sagged with relief.

"Bien cher," Mattie told the boy. "Knew yo' weren' ready to pass on jus' yet, your friends need yo' too much."

* * *

Pietro glared at the digital clock in his room willing it to go faster. He paced around the small room. Feeling claustrophobic he took to the halls and found himself outside of Gambit's room. Remembering that the Cajun booby-trapped his door Pietro decided against bothering him.

The speed demon found his way to the common area and tried to settle down enough to watch TV. He skimmed through the channels so quickly the remote squealed in protest before giving up the ghost. Then he darted between the TV and the couch, manually channel surfing, fussing with the volume as he was torn between the impulse to make enough noise to wake someone else and the knowledge that almost everyone in the base was one irritation away from trying to kill him.

Several hours later Gambit wandered out of his room, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and yawning.

"Didshegetthere?Didshecall?CanshehelpLance?Ishebetter?IsRogueokay?Dotheyneedhelp?CanIhelp?ShouldIdosomething?CanIgohome?WasIgood?" Pietro exclaimed in a torrent of words.

Gambit gave a sleep-blurred sigh and stared blankly at the silver-haired teen. "Homme, I don' follow a t'ing yo' said."

"Lance. Your-Tante-Mattie. Rogue. The-Institute. What-do-you-know?" Pietro demanded.

Gambit brushed past him heading for the kitchen. "I need coffee, yo' need Ritalin den mebbe I can make some sense of what yo're sayin', non?"

With a near shriek of impatience Pietro latched onto Gambit's arm. "Your… Mattie… Did… She… Call?" he asked carefully measuring his words.

"She saw him, oui. Said he wants to live," Gambit said.

"That's-it!" Pietro exclaimed. "Of-course-Lance-wants-to-live! What-sort-of-idiot-news-is-that?"

" 'M not 'xplainin' bon," Gambit sighed understanding Pietro's tone more than his words. "De only times I 'member Tante Mattie not bein' able to help was when dey'd given up on livin'. From de stuff yo' said 'bout your Lance, it sounded like he t'ink dere be no hope, like he was tryin' his bes' to let go. What Mattie says is dat he ain't done it yet, he's still fightin' to live. Dat means Mattie be able to help."

"Really?" Pietro asked.

Gambit grinned. "Oui, really," he said ruffling Pietro's hair. "Don' yo' worry, it's gonna be a'right. Jus' wait, yo'll see, everyt'ing gonna work out."

* * *

"So how goes it with our visiting witch doctor?" McCoy asked.

Moira gave a frustrated sigh, but she was smiling. "She willna let me hook up my monitors or run any tests, it's difficult to say. However I'm certain there's been an increase in eye movements, as if Lance is dreaming again."

"That's excellent news," McCoy replied.

"Yes and sometimes I could swear his respiration changes when his friends come to visit. Arrh! A simple heart monitor could tell me so much," Moira exclaimed.

They walked past Rogue who was talking on the phone. "Well if yah see him, just tell him to call me alright? Ah know it's unusual, so's he. Yah can't miss him, tall, slender sixteen-year-old, with blue eyes and silver hair, he moves really fast…. No Ah don't mean that figuratively!"

* * *

Gambit stuck his head in the base's common room and cursed. Colossus was calmly painting; Pyro was laying back on the couch writing. The floor had a new set of scorch marks, which explained how they'd corralled Quicksilver.

The speed demon was sitting in the corner, securely tied to a chair and gagged. Pietro's eyes were rolled back until only the whites showed and he was breathing in quick panicky gasps around the gag.

"I told yo' not to do dat!" Gambit said darkly.

"Relax, 'Tooth's out," Pyro said. "You're pet's safe enough."

"Did yo' notice he was hyperventilating?" Gambit demanded stalking across the room and slicing through the ropes that bound Pietro with a pocketknife.

Quicksilver spat out the gag. "I-hate-you!" he announced. A moment later Pyro's notebook was shredded, Colossus' canvas was hanging around his neck, his paints were splattered across the room and Quicksilver was gone.

"Don' yo' t'ink havin' Chat torturing de kid be enough?" Gambit demanded of the pair.

"He should learn to behave like a sane adult," Colossus said glaring at the mess. "He cannot just bug us every time he gets bored."

"Come on Gambit, you handcuff him to his chair so he doesn't cheat at cards," Pyro said.

Gambit grasped the arm of the chair and easily tore it free. "Yo' mean dis?" he asked. "Handcuffing him to dat be a mite different dan mummifying de boy in ropes, oui?"

Pyro shrugged. Colossus looked away, ashamed. Gambit stormed out of the room muttering, "Now I got to find de kid and get him calm 'fore I can get anyt'ing done!"

* * *

"So, like, we're going back to school, not that anyone wants us there or anything." Kitty said sitting beside Lance, her legs tucked underneath her. "You don't have to worry about Fred or Todd, they opted out. Todd was sort of a given, I mean he was a magnet for bullies anyways and… Don't worry about it Lance, Todd and Fred are safe, they're staying here and giving Mr. McCoy fits."

Kitty smiled a little. "He had them identifying plants for bio, only you know Freddy, some of the stuff was editable. You'd think Mr. McCoy would learn after Toad and the insect collection idea. Still this one did go over better, Todd considers all insects editable and Freddy only eats certain plants."

"Tante Mattie says you're getting better, and Dr. MacTaggart grumbles a lot about no proper data, but she agrees, so you keep it up Lance. We all miss you." Kitty leaned over and kissed his cheek. "I love you. Goodnight, wake up soon."

When Lance's dark eyes blinked open Kitty screamed with delight, bring both healer and doctor running. "What is it?" Moira asked.

"Lance!" Kitty exclaimed pointing excitedly.

"Welcome back cher," Mattie said.

"We'll need to run some tests, a new MRI at least," Moira said, guiding a resistant Kitty toward the exit.

Mattie scowled. "Yo' want to scare him off 'gain wit' dose t'ings?"

"I've given ye so far but now we need actual information to determine what to expect."

"I want to stay," Kitty said.

"Not now cherie."

Kitty found herself unceremoniously pushed out into the hall and told to wait. Then she realized that no one had spread the news yet. She took off up the stairs at a sprint. "Todd! Fred!" she yelled startling the various students moving back into the Mansion's upper levels. "Lance opened his eyes! Where are Todd and Fred!"

"Oh Kitty, that's wonderful," Jean said smiling.

"Dr. MacTaggart and Tante Mattie are checking on him now. But he opened his eyes, I didn't think that was ever going to happen!" Kitty exclaimed. "Where are the guys?"

"Upstairs, setting up their room," Kurt said. "I'll get them." He popped out with a bamf.

"What's the hubbub," Logan asked coming in with Scott.

Kitty grabbed Logan's arms and tried to spin him around. "Lance is waking up!"

"Yippee!" Todd hollered taking a flying leap from the second story landing to the chandelier.

"We just got that up!" Logan grumbled. "…Oh, go ahead."

"For real?" Fred asked Kitty.

"He opened his eyes!" Kitty repeated.

"Alright!" Fred cheered, grabbing up the closest person in a bear hug.

"Put me down yah big lummox," Rogue laughed, cheerfully pounding on his shoulder.

Scott stood back grinning delightedly at the chaos.

* * *

"So-what-are-we-doing?" Pietro asked as Gambit kept watch over a building the other side of the street.

"Dis be a new group," Gambit replied. "De Friends of Humanity, dey call demselves. De last meetin' dere was a lit'le girl with purple skin found in a dumpster 'bout three blocks 'way de morning afterwards. We're letting dem know dat sort of t'ing won' be tolerated.

"So what are we waiting for?" Pietro asked.

"Dere's still stragglers comin' in," Gambit replied. "Don' want anyone to feel left out."

"What are we going to do?" Pietro asked a moment later.

"Yo're going to set in de car and be quiet," Gambit replied.

"You just brought me for company?" Quicksilver asked sarcastically.

Gambit shrugged. "Figured yo' could use a break from your Pere an' Sabretooth. Plus de other two paid me to keep yo' out of deir hair for a bit."

"I want half," Pietro immediately replied. "I did all the work to annoy them, I should get paid too."

"Yo' t'ink we could turn dis into a business, Red Chief?" Gambit laughed.

"It's not like it's hard," Pietro replied. "I mean I don't even do anything and they're all mad."

"Yo' were pacing 'gain?" Gambit asked.

Pietro shrugged, his cheeks flushing slightly. "I-can't-help-it. Dad-never-lets-me-go-out. You-keep-telling-me-I-gotta-wait. I-never-meant-for-Lance-to-get-hurt-or-any-of-it. All-this-stuff-just-happened. I-hate-it-with-Magneto. I-want-to-go-home,-but-I-can't. I-don't-have-any-right-to-unless-I-make-it-better, unless Lance gets better."

"I know how yo' feel," Gambit said softly. "I had a job once, real simple little t'ing, just keep an eye on m' baby cousin while he pulled his first big B&E. Shouldn' have been any big deal. Mais I got 'stracted by a girl. Really t'ought I loved dat femme too. Dey're both dead now, 'cause I didn't make de right choice. Still lookin' for some way to make t'ings right, me… Looks like dat was de last of dem. Wait here."

"I'm here, I might as well help."

"Got it under control, Silver-kid."

"Come-on, come-on, lemme-help!"

"Non!"

"Why not?"

"Look Silver, yo' stay put, or else," Gambit threatened, his eyes taking on a heighten glow then he slid out of the car and disappeared into the shadows. Pietro sat in the car and sulked, but a cold feel in the pit of his stomach kept him in his place.

Gambit worked his way around the building, picking and choosing different parts of the structure to charge. Then he returned to the car, his mouth tight with concentration.

"So what did you do?" Pietro asked reluctantly as they drove off.

Gambit sighed letting the tension go out his body and released the charges he'd planted around the building, behind them a number of explosions went off.

Pietro scrambled into the back seat of the staring at the building as it collapsed in on itself. In a matter of seconds it had been effectively demolished. After a shocked pause Pietro said. "They're all dead aren't they."

"Most of dem, probably," Gambit said quietly. Silence held sway for several minutes then Gambit sighed. "Don' t'ink 'bout it Silver. Dey started it. We couldn' let dem t'ink dey could get away wit' killing us. She was only eight years old. It was dem. Dey deserved to die. 'M not like Chat, I didn' enjoy what I just did. They had to be stopped."

"You-trying-to-convince-me-or-yourself?" Pietro asked.

"M' eyes were dis color when I was born, mais I didn't get m' power 'til I was fourteen. De girl was helpless 'gainst dem."

Another uncomfortable silence descended.

"I hear your girl's been trying to get in touch wit' yo'," Gambit said changing the subject. "It wouldn't be hard to stop off an' call her for we head back."

* * *

Scott worked loose the hasp on the air vent screen then lowered himself into the med lab.

Lance glared furiously at the X-Men's field leader. "Yeah, I know, you don't want visitors," Scott replied grabbing a seat on the edge of a counter. "Which explains why I came in through the vent instead of the door. You're totally freaking out your friends and Kitty by the way. You're lucky I helped Wolverine with the security system or I wouldn't have been able to get in here."

Lance snorted, scowling at Scott's definition of lucky.

"Well if you're going to be anti-social, I'll make this quick," Scott said. "I don't know if anyone's told you yet, but Pietro's alive. I figured you'd want to know."

Lance's expression became less hostile and Scott thought he saw grudging relief in the other boy's eyes.

"You were right when you said we needed you on the rescue," Scott continued. "If you hadn't of come, things would have gone a lot worse. We probably all would have ended up trapped there or there would have been casualties. If you don't believe me there are about a hundred hours of simulator footage on the computer to prove it."

"Why?" Lance asked haltingly, his expression showing confusion.

Scott glanced away for a moment. "I don't like loosing teammates any more than you do," he said quietly. "And I'm more than enough of a perfectionist to spend weeks trying to figure out how I screwed up. I was sure I must have done something wrong or not seen something and that was why you ended up hurt. The thing is, I couldn't find it. I couldn't figure out a single way to be sure of getting everyone out of there without your help. I thought you should know that."

With that Scott climbed back into the air vent, leaving Lance behind to think about what had been said.

* * *

"Bonjour, may I speak wit' Rogue?" Gambit asked shaking his head as he watched Pietro fidget.

"Who may I say is calling," Jean asked formally, but Gambit heard an edge of caution underneath the schooled politeness.

"Why chere tell her it be her boyfriend calling," Gambit grinned at the sudden frown on Pietro's face, for once he was truly grateful for the silver-haired teen's rapidly shifting focus of attention. While the boy had truly been disturbed by the bombing his longer held concerns about Lance quickly replaced those thoughts in his mind and in a few hours they were back to normal.

"Quicksilver, if this is you that's the cheesiest fake accent I've ever heard," Jean exclaimed. "And what makes you think Rogue, or anyone else here, wants to talk to you?"

"Chere de accent be real an' who's dis Quicksilver? Are yo' tellin' me m' girl is two-timin' me?"

"Shut up!" Pietro hissed. "We-said-childhood-friend-'member-childhood-friend-saw-her-on-TV-got-worried-'member-that?"

"Are you talking to someone else?" Jean asked suspiciously.

"Only yo' chere," Gambit replied. "Mais de pest are fair thick where 'M calling from. Now yo' goin' to get Rogue or keep on running up de phone bill? I can hang up an' call back collect, I ain't got dat many quarters yo' know."

"Alright, I'm getting her," Jean said.

"Gimme-the-phone!" Pietro demanded. Gambit grinned holding it out of reach. Pietro dash around him snatched it away in a move to fast to be seen. "Like-that'd-work-on-me," he scoffed. "You're-such-a-pain!"

"Who the hell is this?" Rogue demanded.

"Rogue?" Pietro asked.

"Finally!" Rogue exclaimed. "Ah been leaving messages for weeks, Kitty and the guys told me yah got out okay, but yah could've called, ah was worried."

"I've-been-stuck-on-the-base. So-is-Lance-better? Don't-lie-please."

"He's awake," Rogue said. "It happened last night. Kitty found out she really can walk on air."

"So-he's-okay?"

Rogue hesitated.

"Lance is okay right?" Pietro asked.

"Well, um, the Doc, Tante Mattie and the Prof all say everything looks okay," Rogue hedged. "As far as they can see there ain't nothing stopping him from making a full recovery. He's just forgotten some things."

"Like what?" Pietro demanded.

* * *

Lance reached for the cup sitting on the table, his encountered only empty space, with a frown he swept his hand across the surface until his fingers brushed against the cup cursing in the privacy of his own head. He concentrated intently as his fingers grudgingly closed around the smooth plastic cylinder then watched in disgust as the cup tumbled from his hand a moment later.

"That was much better, don't you think?" McCoy asked encouragingly.

Lance glared, reaching for his powers to express his feelings about his progress, not caring about the consequences.

/I'd rather not knock you out again,/ Xavier projected. /Even though your powers are no longer a danger to you, you don't have control over them. You are being sought by the police here remember? When you begin working on re-mastering you're mutant abilities we'll have to find some place less suspicious than Bayville./

"Please try again Lance," McCoy said setting the cup back within easy reach of the teen.

Lance paused, forcing himself to speak without slurring the words. "Can't, leave me alone!"

"I know this is frustrating," McCoy sighed.

Lance sent the cup flying across the room with a violent swing of his arm that overbalanced him, sending him tumbling to the floor.

Beast leapt the table between them. "Are you alright?" he asked reaching out to lift Lance back into his seat.

Lance curled in on himself, making things as difficult as he could. "Go away!" he yelled.

/Hank, give him some room,/ Xavier projected.

McCoy grimaced unhappily, forcing himself not to help as Lance collected himself with painful slowness. He rolled to his feet then using the table managed to pull himself upright. "I'm fine," he growled.

"So you are. Does this mean you're ready to continue?" McCoy asked neutrally.

"Yeah," Lance sighed letting McCoy resettle the chair and offer him a supporting arm as he sat.

/You were right Charles,/ McCoy though placing the cup back on the table. /Just blowing off a little steam, as usual./

He sighed at Lance's intense scowl of concentration as the teen struggled with a task that should have been effortless. "I know this isn't easy and it feels like it's taking forever, but you really are doing amazingly well." McCoy told Lance, earning a death glare. "I am merely being factual, in just over two weeks you've come so far. When you first awoke you had no motor control at all, and now, through sheer stubbornness I believe, you are walking again and when you do choose to speak you're perfectly clear. The fine motor control, hand-eye coordination and balance will all come back to you, just give it a little time."


	17. Resolve and Despair

Lance watched the surface of the water in the cup beside his bed almost expecting to see it trembling like the puddle in "Jurassic Park" but even Freddy didn't weight enough for that. Lance could still feel the vibrations the other teen's heavy footsteps sent through the earth, even here in the steel and concrete reinforced passages that ran beneath the Xavier Institute.

Gauging from the vibrations Lance realized that Freddy was heavier than even he looked and once Lance thought about it, it make sense, normal human skin and fat, no matter how thick, didn't provide the sort of invulnerable armor Blob's did. Lance shook his head at his sudden fascination with Fred's mutation. He knew himself well enough to know it was just a way to keep from thinking about his own mutation. Because it wasn't just Freddy's footsteps he sensed making aborted forays toward the med lab. Lance also picked up the vibrations from Todd's distinct gait; even Kitty's light walk was detectable. It was creepy. Lance vaguely remembered an increased awareness of the vibrations in the earth during the months before his powers first manifested, remembered the glut of incomprehensible information flooding his mind…

Suddenly he was glad for the Institute's seclusion and damping layers of concrete. At least all he sensed were the people wandering around the lower levels and the occasional danger room session, not the constant barrage of cars, crowds and that damned airport a few miles from the house where he'd been living back then.

Then his powers had started working. At first it hadn't hurt to use them, they just left him feeling like he had a head cold, because his additional awareness was deadened for awhile after he'd shaken things up. It had been nice actually and after a half year or so of using them the head cold feeling stopped going away, once he'd gotten used to it, it had been like he'd never had that extra sense. It hadn't been long after that when his headaches started. He hadn't sensed the earth's vibrations in a long time, but now it was back and every bit as annoying as he remembered it being.

As bad as it was waking up at the ungodly hours Scott and Wolverine liked for Danger room sessions, it was worse knowing how much time his friends spent hanging around the med lab door pestering Dr. MacTaggart or Tante Mattie about making an exception to the ban on visitors. A ban that existed at his request.

He hated being helpless, couldn't stand the idea of anyone seeing him this vulnerable. The adults were bad enough but he couldn't make them leave him alone and Xavier would knock him out long before he could cave the Institute in on top of himself… Lance sighed, he knew he wasn't really serious about doing anything like that, and he'd already had more than enough lectures about thinking that sort of thing.

Honestly, the adults weren't that bad really, he'd gotten use to the idea that Dr. MacTaggart's professional ethics required her to help and Tante Mattie seemed equally dedicated to her craft even if she was… a little unique… Mr. McCoy was the only teacher he ever remembered liking and as much as he didn't like Professor Xavier, Lance couldn't help but end up feeling ashamed of himself when his frustrations bubbled up around the crippled telepath. It was hard to justify explosions of temper about his lack of progress to someone who would never recover the use of his legs. There was nothing Lance could do to keep them from helping him but he was getting use to the idea that they all really did want to help him, that they didn't despise him for being helpless but letting friends who'd depended on him see him like this just wasn't going to happen.

The only problem was he could sense them hanging around just on the other side of the door. It made it hard to forget that even if he couldn't take care of them anymore, he could still hurt them.

The footsteps paused just outside the door. Lance closed his eyes; in his mind's eye he could see the three of them. He knew that it wasn't really the closed door keeping them out, if Xavier had ordered them to stay away from him they all would have been in and out every few minutes, but Xavier hadn't told them to stay away, he'd merely passed on Lance's wishes in the matter and that was a much tougher barrier for them to break down than a door. They hadn't tried after he'd pretended to be asleep when Kitty phased into the room.

"Hell!" Lance swore softly. He was improving, if he was careful, if he just saw them for a few minutes…

"Concentrate," Lance told himself. "Sit up, stand up. Keep a hand on the bed until the room stops spinning. Look around for the next thing to lean on, 'cause Moira's right; a walker or at least a cane would help. Like that's going to happen, I'd rather fall than admit to needing something like that. The desk is just four fucking steps away. One.… two… Damn it! I'm not losing my balance; I'm just not! Three… four… Where's the damn desk? Five… Six… Fall toward the stupid thing if you've gotta fall then!

Good desk, nice desk, you don't mind if I sort of lean… well more or less collapse here for a moment?

Why the hell is this so hard!? It's not like I was down long enough for my muscles to atrophy or anything. It's just all so freaking strange, can't judge distances. Reach for something it's not there, go to take a step and the floor jumps up at me, like when you think there's one more step before you get to the stairs only there isn't, except I know the damn floor's flat! Felt like I'm balancing on top of a ball half the time, my center keeps moving, trying to make me fall. Fuck that!

They're walking off. Wait guys, I'm coming! Push off the desk; keep moving till the wall stops you. The wall's like a guide right to the door and it reminds a person which way up is. Keep your shoulder against the wall, move forward. Realize how lucky everyone else is that they learn this crap while they're still to young to remember how damn miserable this is. Reach for the button to open the door.

If at first you don't succeed… knock the whole fucking place down. Just kidding Professor! Look where your hand is, look where the button is, use that to judge where the damn thing really is. Be grateful it's not a doorknob, fingers never work for more than a few seconds and they let go at the stupidest times. Watch the door slide open. Lean against the jam, because that looks natural, and a whole lot better than falling on your ass…'

"Hey," Lance said letting the internal monologue fall silent.

As one Kitty, Todd and Fred turned back toward the infirmary, mouths dropping open in stunned delight. "Lance!" he wasn't quite sure which one of them yelled his name before they came charging back down the hall. He mentally braced himself for impact, if any of them so much as touched him he knew he was going to end up on the floor, his sense of equilibrium was so frail.

Then it didn't happen. The three of them stopped, froze, like they hit a force field just under an arms length from him. They looked scared, like he'd break if they touched him.

Not that it mattered; the act of bracing himself compromised Lance's stability without any external assistance. Only he didn't fall… because Todd was holding his arm, steadying him and the next thing Lance knew Fred had picked him up and was carrying him back to bed. He was supposed to protect them!

Then all three of them were talking. Lance didn't have a clue as to what about, beyond knowing that not one word had been said about the tears on his cheeks. They probably didn't know how to deal with it. Which was only fair, he could barely comprehend the fact he was crying and certainly didn't know what should be done about it, but it was stopping right the hell now!

After a few minutes Lance forced himself to grin. "So you two were eating bio?" he asked a little uncertain as to where he'd heard that, but it worked the three of them relaxed a little and immediately jumped into telling him all about the headaches Mr. McCoy was suffering from the new members of his home schooled group.

Kitty was blushing a little, Lance couldn't imagine why, then he remembered: "Goodnight, wake up soon. I love you."

* * *

"My fault, all my fault," it echoed in Pietro's head in an endless refrain. For the first time in his life he felt completely drained of all energy.

His fault, they all hated him and he agreed with them. He'd tried to make amends, pinned all his hopes on Gambit's Tante Mattie, but even magic hadn't made Lance all better and if he were Lance, he'd never forgiven himself.

"Quicksilver report to the training area immediately," Magneto's voice thundered over the intercom.

Pietro pulled his blanket over his head and ignored the voice. He was tired, getting out of bed seemed like an insurmountable task, Magneto would just have to find someone else to play tag with Sabretooth. Pietro closed his eyes and went back to sleep.

"Up yo' little fool!" Gambit's angry voice pulled him from the oblivion a moment later as the Cajun thief unceremoniously yanked him out of bed and dumped him on the cold concrete floor of his quarters.

"Why'd you do that?" Pietro asked sulkily, reaching for a blanket to wrap around himself.

"Chat can cut yo' up here as well as de training room mon ami, s' get yourself movin'," Gambit ordered.

"Don't care, I'm tired," Pietro complained laying down on the floor.

"I said on your feet," Gambit growled coldly charging the blanket. It exploded with just enough force to slam Pietro into the wall.

"That hurt," the silver-haired boy sulked.

"An' Chat's claws won'?" Gambit demanded. "Merde, yo' ain't in any state to fight. Colossus be in de control room, he don' particularly like yo' mais he won' stand by an' watch Chat tear yo' up either, go dere."

Pietro nodded disinterestedly, Gambit hurried him on his way with another explosion then headed toward the training area.

* * *

"Where is Quicksilver?" Magneto demanded scowling angrily at the Cajun.

"Silver's feeling under de weather," Gambit said.

"Sabretooth," Magneto said and the big mutant grinned. Gambit's bo staff slammed into the wall blocking Sabretooth's path. "Magneto, I don' give a damn what's goin' t'rough your head. Dis ain't got nothin' to do wit' playin' favorites or makin' de boy stronger or not bein' soft or any other nonsense. He's your son, 'M telling yo' if he fights today he'll get hurt. Let him be!"

"Gambit, you forget your place," Magneto said frowning darkly at the younger man who dared to object to how he dealt with his son.

"I've had 'nough of yo', of dis. Don' like your style, your rhetoric or de way yo' treat your family," Gambit snapped. "Should of gone wit' m' firs' t'ough: I ain't into joinin'."

* * *

Gambit ran into the control room, "Come on Silver, we're leavin'," he said.

"What?" Colossus exclaimed. "You can't leave, this is Magneto we're talking about."

"I do what I like," Gambit stated.

"Dad'll kill you," Pietro said quietly. "You can't fight him. I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me."

Gambit sighed looking down at the slender teen sitting huddled in the corner. "Get up kid."

"I don't wanna."

"Pietro!" Gambit ordered in a tone that wouldn't be denied.

Wearily the silver-haired teen climbed to his feet and followed after Gambit saying, "He's just going to kill us both now."

Gambit waved a magnet over a hidden spot in the wall then grinned as a secret exit opened for him. "Yo' will make yourself scarce an' not tell on us, oui?" he said to Colossus. "Or does he own your soul as well as your body?"

* * *

The device reminded Lance of a mix between a rubrics cubeand a Transformer and he was absurdly grateful to Mr. McCoy for making it for him.

_and a Transformer and he was absurdly grateful to Mr. McCoy for making it for him._

Boredom was the worst part of this whole mess he'd decided after about a week. He was perfectly willing to do physical therapy till he dropped of exhaustion, but he'd wake up still drained of energy. Lance didn't like to read and given the choice between TV, working on his jeep or play the guitar TV came in last. Almost everything Lance enjoyed doing revolved around working with his hands, in other words nothing he could do right now.

That's what made Mr. McCoy's little toy so great, it was designed to help him recover his manual dexterity and the strength in his hands and in the meantime it was fairly entertaining.

Still the instant he heard the door sliding open he dropped it into his lap and waited for whoever was visiting now. Lance might have considered his first effort at socializing since his coma an unmitigated disaster but Todd, Fred, Kitty and most of the other students at the Institute took it as an irrevocable repeal of his earlier ban on visitors and the adult were letting them.

So he gave up, he was bored anyway, he missed his friends and it wasn't so bad. He'd never been one of the more talkative members of the Brotherhood, so no one thought it was strange that he let them do most the talking. As long he didn't try to do anything while he had company it wasn't glaringly obvious how completely helpless he was. When he really wanted them to get rid of someone he just stopped paying attention to them, most everyone took the hint.

The door finished opening, Scott walked in, Lance groaned. There was always at least one exception to the rules. Scott did not take hints, Scott did not leave when Lance wanted him to and trying to out wait the other senior was pointless because Scott brought homework to keep busy while Lance ignored him.

Scott greeted Lance cheerfully and received a scowl in return. He dug out a textbook and some paper. After a few minutes Lance made a sound of disgust and went back to his game. The first time Scott pulled this stunt Lance had sat silent and unmoving for nearly an hour to avoid risking embarrassment, after several weeks of Scott's unexplained desire to be social, putting up more than a cursory protest seemed stupid. So he just pretended Scott wasn't there.

The trick to the puzzle was that Lance had to keep a steady pressure on several points or the pieces wouldn't unlock. As Lance's hands slipped repeatedly, preventing him from accomplishing anything, he started cursing under his breath.

Scott glanced up by didn't comment, after a moment he went back to his homework.

Lance scowled, tightening his grip, trying to substitute force for finesse, after a few moments his hand spasmed and the puzzle dropped to the floor.

Scott moved to retrieve it. "Don't," Lance said. Scott sat back, gritting his teeth, when he'd started this plan the one hard, fast rule that had been set was that he couldn't help when Lance told him not to, besides doing that would wreck the whole point of the effort. Still it went against Scott's instincts to let Lance struggle with simple things like retrieving a dropped object.

But it was working; a week ago Lance would have left the puzzle on the floor until he was alone.

Time passed, they settled back into their routine. Scott glanced up from his books. "Mind quizzing me on history?" he asked.

"Why don't you go study with Jean," Lance suggested waving toward the door.

"She opted for Honors US History, it doesn't her any good to study with me, Mr. McCoy stuck with the school's outline so you'd be able to graduate with the class, you're studying this stuff too," Scott pointed out.

"I don't study," Lance said. "Why don't you bother whoever you normally bother."

"Because Paul hasn't spoken to me since the school board decided mutants could attend public school," Scott said bitterly.

"What'd you expect, being friends with one of them," Lance said. Scott's shoulders tightened. Lance sighed. "Hand me the text," he said with a hint of an apology in his voice.

* * *

Gambit stirred restlessly, in his dreams he was eighteen again, laughing and joking, trying to get his thirteen-year-old cousin to lighten up and unwind.

_Baleful blue eyes glared back at him, Remy reached out to ruffle golden blonde hair. "Seriously Et, jus' relax," he said as the younger boy ducked away from him. "Yo' know your stuff, yo're bon at it, yo' jus' choke when yo' t'ink too much 'bout failin'."_

_"I don' get a second chance on dis one, Rem. If I don' bring dat necklace back 'M out." Etienne said._

_Remy glanced away and he was walking arm in arm with a dark haired girl who smiled up at him with love in her sparkling hazel eyes. She went up on tiptoe to kiss him, Remy pulled her closer, closing his eyes and losing himself in her kiss._

_He opened his eyes and he was following Etienne across a darkened roof. Et disconnected a security wire and they lowered themselves through a skylight. They raced through dark hall on silent feet, then the lights flared on and a vicious laugh filled the room._

_Glowing card flew from Gambit's hands, filling the halls with strobe like lights, delaying the beast of a man chasing after them. Remy shoved Etienne ahead of him as they fled. A picture window loomed up before them and they dove through it without hesitation._

_Then they were back in the hotel room nose-to-nose and glaring. "We ain't goin' back," Remy declared._

_"Hell we aren't, I ain't goin' back to N'awlens a failure!" Etienne yelled._

_"Dey didn' sign yo' up for anyt'ing like dat guy," Remy argued. "Jean-Luc's a fair man an' a good leader, he'll understand. He'll let yo' try 'gain."_

_"No, if I pass on special dispensation I'll never live it down," Etienne protested._

_"Mon Dieu Et, who gives a damn what dose morons say?" Remy exclaimed._

_"It's different for you," Etienne said. "No mattah what dey say 'bout yo' everyone knows yo're a bettah t'ief dan dey could evah dream of bein'. Me, I still got ta prove m'self."_

_"A'right," Remy sighed. "Do the job, I'll draw out big, bad an' fury."_

Images flickered rapidly on the screen of Remy's closed eyelids:  _Taunting Sabretooth. Leading the fearsome mutant on a merry chase across the rooftops of Pairs. Laughing with Et as the boy held up the glittering swag in triumph. Turning off the alarm clock so they'd miss their flight back to the states. Winning one more night in the arms of his raven-haired beauty. Coming back to a ransacked hotel room, the words, "Hope your girl tastes as good as she looks," written across the mirror in blood. A mad dash across the city to another devastated apartment and another bloody message; "Bring the sparkler to Notre Dame." Another pell-mell race across the city. A tense confrontation on a lofty rooftop; "Your choice boy, toss me the pretty and you get one of them back." The huge diamond pendant shining in the moonlight as it landed at the mountain man's feet. Ropes slipping through uncaring fingers. A vicious grin on Sabretooth's face. Remy's heart pounding in his throat, his body frozen. The sickening double splat. Racing down the stairs to collapse sobbing between two bloody and broken bodies._

Gambit woke gasping for breath, his face wet with tears. "Jus' a dream," he muttered, sighing in relief as he glanced across the hotel room to see the light from a street lamp gleaming off of silver-blonde hair that was free of blood. Silver, never gold, never again gold.

* * *

Lance stood at the bottom of the stairs, glaring up at them as if they were a hated enemy. He checked the lobby to make sure there was no one waiting to interfere, even though he'd deliberately waited until he'd known everyone was out before leaving the confines of the med-lab, still it never hurt to be sure, people were always forgetting things and coming back at the worst moment. Then he grabbed the balustrade with both hands and started making his laborious way up.

All his attention was focused on keeping his balance and lifting each foot high enough to clear the next step. Twenty minutes later he was three-quarters of the way up. His arms were shaking with exhaustion and a sheen of sweat covered his face. Lance glanced up, counting the number of steps left, then gritted his teeth and… lift one foot up…

"Lance, vhat are you doing!" an alarmed voice shouted.

Lance started, loosing his grip on the balustrade and falling backwards. Before he could hit the stairs Kurt appeared beside him in a cloud of sulfurous smoke, furry arms wrapped around his waist and a moment later both teens reappeared in a heap at the bottom of the stairs.

Angrily Lance shoved Kurt away from him. "I vas helping!" Kurt protested. "You could have gotten hurt."

Lance stared up the steps slamming his fist into the floor, defeat and frustration apparent in his face.

Kurt's eyes softened with compassion. "I could pop you up," he offered then quickly added. "Or I could show you the elevator."

Lance glared at him. "I can walk up a damn staircase!" he insisted furiously. Suddenly Lance's gaze flickered upward. "I'm not going to use my powers so get the fuck out of my head!" he yelled.

At the sound of Lance's raised voice Kitty came running, she took in the scene with a wince then silently joined Lance sitting on the floor at the foot of the staircase.

Kurt gave her a questioning look, wanting to ask if she could handle things or if there was something he should do to help.

Kitty glanced pointedly at the door. Kurt took the hint and left.

After a few moments Lance slumped against the newel post, Kitty could tell that he was biting the insides of his cheeks, eyes clenched shut, still shaking with exhaustion.

She sat beside him not saying anything, a long time ago she'd learned it was easiest if they didn't talk about the things they couldn't change, back then it had been the rivalry between their groups, the Brotherhood's perpetual money problems and the fights Lance was continually getting into at school. Now it seemed to be everything.

Kitty leaned against the opposite side of the post. Gradually without either of them really planning it, they shifted so the post wasn't in the way and they were leaning against each other.

She wished she could say she couldn't imagine Lance not being a part of her life, but she knew exactly what that felt like. She knew it was the last thing she wanted, but she didn't know how they could stay a couple when there was nothing they could talk about.

Lance's fists unclenched, his fingers sought out Kitty's, loosely interlacing with them.

He wondered if he'd fallen in love with her because Kitty reminded him of everything he'd lost. He could imagine Missy being friends with someone like Kitty; they would have liked each other. Normal seemed further away than ever, even the bazaar version of normality that he'd created with the rest of the Brotherhood was gone now.

Kitty's free arm slipped around Lance's shoulders, pulling them closer together. Her fingers played gently with the ragged ends of his dark hair.

She loved his stubborn pride. Lance didn't ask for help, he hated needing it. He always found ways to survive on his own, and to take care of his friends without turning to outsiders. That was just Lance.

Lance rubbed his cheek against the top of Kitty's head, enjoying the silken feel of her hair.

He'd saved her, Todd, Fred and the others who'd been captured. They'd needed him there and he'd accomplished exactly what he'd set out to do. He'd always known there would be a cost, it had been his choice to pay it and he'd won.

For a long time they stayed sitting there together while Lance recovered his strength. Then, awkwardly he clambered back his feet. Kitty stood beside him, her arm wrapped firmly around his waist, lending support and stability. When he opened his mouth to protest she scowled up at him. "I'm your girlfriend, if I want to walk with my arm around your waist, I can. All it means is that I want to be close to you."

For a moment Lance managed to hang on to his indignation, then he laughed softly. "You look cute when you frown," he told her. "Like a kitten." Then his expression became serious. "I'm a lot bigger than you, if I fall I'll knock you down with me."

"Then I guess you'd better not fall." Kitty said thinking that she could easily phase them both back to the ground so a fall wouldn't hurt.

Lance smiled again. "Yeah, I can handle that," he said.

Fifteen minutes later Lance pulled away from Kitty to collapse in an exhausted heap at the top of the stairs. She plopped down beside him. "What did you want to do up here anyway?" Kitty asked after a few minutes.

Lance looked at her blankly. Kitty giggled. "You forgot didn't you?"

Lance grinned sheepishly. "I don't think there was ever a plan beyond just getting up here."

"Well we should do something," Kitty said. "Or else we're just going to end up turning around and climbing back down."

Lance groaned. "How 'bout a nap?"

"Right this way," Kitty said tugging Lance back to his feet. She pulled his arm over her shoulders and together they stumbled to her room.

Fifteen minutes later Rogue returned to the room she shared with Kitty. "Yah two make a cute picture," she said.

"Shh," Kitty whispered. Lance stirred in his sleep, wrapping Kitty even more tightly in his arms, she smiling fondly, snuggling into his embrace.


	18. Epilogue: Home

Lance lay awake in bed, arms crossed behind his head, enjoying the complete lack of medical equipment in the room he was now sharing with Summers.

Someone with a tense martial stride passed his door and stopped in front of the room shared by Bobby and Sam, "Scott in a bad mood," Lance decided.

"Sorry to wake you Sam," Scott said tersely. "I need to have a word with the Popsicle."

"No problem, I've been up since dawn, just trying to keep quiet for all yah slug-a-beds," Sam replied in a friendly tone.

A small pause while Scott crossed the room, "Bobby, you wouldn't know anything about the hot water pipes being frozen would you?"

Lance smirked; it served Summers right for being the first person in the showers every single morning. He sensed new footsteps approaching from the girls' wing. "Robert Drake!" Rogue yelled and Lance decided the fireworks were gong to be worth getting up for afterall. As he walked to the door, Lance kept one hand on the top of the dresser, "Just in case," he told himself, moving to lean in the doorway.

Bobby was backed against the wall hands held out pleadingly. "I didn't mean to get you!" he protested as Rogue stalked toward him.

The confrontation across the hall drew Todd out of the room he and Fred shared. The sandy-haired teen stepped directly into a tub of green jell-o left in front of the door, slipped and ended up covered in the stuff. Lance heard Fred laughing as Sam cracked, "Turn about's fair play."

"Bobby you are so dead!" Jean yelled storming up the hall.

Sam and Fred exchanged a high-five, Todd grinned evilly at them, "There's still no substitute for the original!" he declared. They took off running as he spat a mouthful of slime at them.

"Toad!" Jean shrieked getting caught in the crossfire.

Bobby decided to use the distraction to slip away from the victims of his practical joke. "You're not getting off that easily," the redhead thundered using her telekinesis to hoist both Todd and Bobby into the air.

Scott joined Lance on the sidelines. "Jean is not a morning person," he confided.

"She's a red head," Lance pointed out. "I always knew she couldn't be Miss Perfect all the time."

Scott shook his head and sighed, rolling his eyes behind his shades.

Kitty stormed out of the kitchen, Kurt trailing after her triumphantly waving a camera. "I was going to finish the whole thing!" she insisted.

"A whole half-gallon of orange juice, tell me another one," Kurt cracked. "Hey everyone! Kitty drinks straight out of the carton! I have proof!"

"Will you shut up?" Kitty demanded, blushing as she phased her hand through the camera and yanked out the film.

"My camera!" Kurt exclaimed, snatching up a convenient handful of jell-o to throw at Kitty.

Jean had finished with relocating most of Todd's slime to his person so she released him to chase after Fred and Sam seeking his own retribution for the morning's pranks, while Jean turned her attention to Bobby. "What to do with you," she pondered.

"Dunking him in ice cold water won't work," Rogue said. "He'd like it too much."

"Is there a sauna handy" Jean wondered.

Drawn by the noise Amara and Rahne wandered over from the girls' wing and promptly slipped in the mess of jell-o that was rapidly spreading across the hall. "You're looking for Fred and Sam," Lance offered helpfully as the two girls scrambled to their feet, the gleam of vengeance alight in their eyes. "They were headed outside last I saw of them, better hurry or Todd'll get all the fun."

"You guys are a bad influence," Scott informed Lance surveying the chaos.

Lance grinned. "Better be careful, it might rub off on you too, we are roommates after all."

There was a shout from the boy's bathroom and Ray came storming down the hall, a towel around his waist, shivering, electricity sparkling around his hands.

"Right over there, join the line," Scott said pointing him toward Bobby.

As Ray joined Rogue and Jean in planning Bobby's fate a hoard of Jamies poured into the hall from all directions, each one with an armful of water balloons.

Before he could throw a single one a distinctive "snikt" froze all the combatants in their tracks. They looked up the stairs to the third floor where the instructors had their rooms. "Take it outside," Wolverine said in a low dangerous tone.

Bobby wriggled free as Jean's concentration faltered. He made a break for the outdoors Jean, Rogue and Ray hot on his heals.

Kitty and Kurt each scooped up armfuls of Jell-o and headed for the stairs and the door.

Logan shook his head at the mess in the hall and the trail of Jell-O leading down the main staircase and out the door. "I hope they all get a kick out of scrubbing floors," he grumbled heading for the kitchen.

"You need a hand?" Scott asked Lance.

"I'm fine," Lance said irritably. Scott watched him take the first couple of steps then decided that Lance wasn't over estimating his recovery and hurried outside, intending to referee. A Jamie ambushed Scott as he walked out the front door then ran off laughing.

By the time Lance joined the others outside a full scale war was occurring on the front lawn: The Jamies were water bombing all comers. Rahne had switched to wolf-form and was biting the back of Sam's shirt, holding him down so Todd could slime him. Amara was using her powers to herd Fred back toward the pool. Bobby had built a snow fort and was holding off his attackers, he'd iced himself to the ground to keep Jean from grabbing him with her Telekinesis but couldn't over come her shielding ability and slowly but surely she was pressing forward while Ray and Rogue split Bobby's fire. Kitty and Kurt were chasing other around the lawn, having run out of Jell-o they had resorted to mud from the flowerbeds, not that they were having much luck in getting each other, between Kitty's phasing and Kurt's teleporting, but they were wracking up a considerable amount of collateral damage. Scott was using his optic blasts to pop the Jamies' water balloons before they could throw them.

Lance spotted a water spigot and grinned; keeping one hand on the wall of the house he made his way toward his goal. Whistling a cheerful tune he hooked up the hose and a spray head, turned on the water then sprayed an unsuspecting Kurt down, melting the mud ball the blue furred mutant had been about to throw at Kitty.

"My hero!" Kitty laughed running to join Lance.

"Who's next?" Lance asked smiling at her.

Evan walked out the front door. "What's going on?" he asked yawning.

"Everyone else has been got," Kitty said pointing to Evan.

"Sounds good to me," Lance said dousing the surprised skateboarder.

"Evan isn't the only one missing out all aspects of the fun," Scott said blasting the spigot so that Lance and Kitty were sprayed by water shooting out of the broken tap.

"Why you!" Kitty exclaimed starting after Scott.

"Kitty, a hand here," Lance called. Together they used their hands to redirect the stream of water at Scott.

Lance squeezed Kitty's hand happily, looking around at the insanity running rampant across the Xavier Institutes grounds and laughed, feeling one hundred percent at home.

* * *

The sun crested the hill above the Xavier Institute illuminating two figures standing there. The slender silver-haired teen barely noticed it his eyes were locked hungrily on the scene below. His companion scowled at the light, stepping back into the shadows as he dug sunglasses out of his trenchcoat to protect his uniquely night adapted eyes.

Gambit noted the way the rays of the sun were caught and reflected back by the pale tousled strands of Pietro's hair, making it look like the boy had caught fire for a moment, he wondered if it were an omen and if it were how should he interpret it.

Omens were never so considerate as to be unambiguous. He'd read the cards for Pietro a dozen times since they'd fled Magneto, and he still didn't know if the Queen of Hearts represented salvation or the path to the destiny foretold by the Ace of Spades, but the status quo couldn't remain and he was ready to start taking chances.

"Will yo' go back today?" Gambit asked.

Pietro pulled back a look of unspoken terror in his eyes. He shook his head vehemently.

"Do yo' like purgatory s'well den?" Gambit asked. "Yo' begged me to bring yo' back here, I t'ought yo' wanted more dan to look t'rough de glass."

"Tomorrow, okay?" Pietro promised.

"Yo' said de same t'ing yesterday, not mentionin' a few 'fore dat."

"I'll do it tomorrow."


End file.
